In Check
by sinemoras09
Summary: Akari and Souya get into a relationship. Akari/Souya. AU. Drabble/oneshot collection. Canon-divergence after chapter 98. Spoilers for chapter 130. Ensemble. Complete.
1. Mezzanine

_Author's note: this chapter, "Mezzanine," was originally published separately as a standalone fic. I imagine this as being a part of the same AU, so I'm including it here for completeness' sake. If you already read it, please skip to chapter 2._

* * *

.

His grandmother was deaf, so he learned sign language from an early age.

The house was quiet. Other than the soft shuffle of slippered feet and the steady ticking of the antique clock, there was no sound. A shaft of light fell onto an austere kitchen and illuminated two people signing quietly.

Grandmother. I have another match today.

Again? You're so busy. Didn't you have a match yesterday?

That was for a tournament. This one is just a commemorative one.

The grandmother smiled. Her face crinkled at the corner, and as she signed, her skin stretched like paper.

Good luck, Touji-chan.

And Souya smiled back at her, signing.

Thank you, Grandma.

xXx

.

His Grandmother met the Chairman several times.

"Souya!" Even though Souya couldn't hear the knocking of the door or the booming of the Chairman's voice, he could feel the vibrations echoing outside. "Souya, I'm unlocking your door!"

The door slid open. Souya and his grandmother looked up, startled. Souya had just finished cooking his grandmother breakfast; neither of them were dressed.

"Souya, you dummy! Don't you know it's almost time for the match?"

Souya wasn't very good at reading lips, but it was easy with the Chairman, since everything he said was loud and everything was exaggerated, his face opening wide like a freshly caught fish.

"Is it time?" Souya asked. "I thought we still had an hour."

"Geez, I knew you'd underestimate it! Just because you live in the neighborhood, tch."

His grandmother touched him on the arm.

Why is he angry? his grandmother signed.

He's not angry. He's just being himself.

"Eh? Are you talking about me? If you have enough time to sign you have enough time to go get dressed!"

"My apologies, Chairman. I will go get dressed."

Souya rose, heading to his room. It was always disconcerting to speak out loud and not hear himself. When he was a child, and his grandmother had to speak to someone, she had a noticeable accent. A deaf voice, they called it. Something thick and lurching but still relatively understood.

They got into the car. The Chairman drove while Souya looked out the window.

xXx

.

The Chairman had his reasons for keeping Souya's deafness a secret.

"The only thing you've got going for you is that you're mysterious and aloof," the Chairman was saying. Or at least, Souya thought he was saying, but there was a high-pitched ringing sound in his ear, such that the Chairman's voice was blending with the background. Souya squinted his eyes and focused on the Chairman's mouth - he rolled his consonants, stressing the vowels - and he thought he could make out the words. "Once they find out that mysterious, enigmatic child of god is really just an absent-minded airhead-" and Souya blinked at this, though most people would bristle "-we'll lose our sponsors. Our fans!"

They've had this conversation before, back when he first turned pro and started winning matches._ "Ack! Souya! You can't say you want to pulverize the enemy! That's uncouth! Tell them you want a match that's enjoyable for everyone and you're looking forward to the flow!"_

The Chairman had confiscated Souya's video games, loudly telling him he couldn't spout nonsense like an idiot shounen protagonist, and promptly gave him a script of speeches to memorize.

(Grandma? Souya signed. He was still in middle school then. Am I an airhead?

What? His grandmother signed back. Who told you that?

Chairman Jinguuji did.

His grandmother wrinkled her face. She waved her hand dismissively.)

His hearing started going in his twenties. Speech became difficult, and pretty soon all sound blurred into a background lull.

xXx

.

It was the day before the commemorative match, and the bullet train was crowded. Souya looked around and saw a small coterie of reporters also traveling. _They'll want to talk to me_, Souya thought, and the thought itself was exhausting. He picked up a pair of headphones and slipped them into his ears.

"Souya! This is the schedule. We have players' Q&A at 7 PM. Don't be late, it'll freak out the kid."

Souya's eyes drifted downward at the paper, studying it.

Sometimes, when there was free time, Souya would wander the courtyard. Usually, the hotel lobby would be packed with journalists and fans, and Souya would find the commotion too exhausting: a panoply of lights, a sea of smiling faces, mouthing words that Souya couldn't understand, he retreated into the wooded areas and quiet back yards where few people walk.

If he could hear, he'd say he likes the quiet. Now that he couldn't, he supposed he liked the calm.

xXx

.

Perhaps because he couldn't hear, but Souya found it easier to read his opponents. When Shimada was smiling and gritting his teeth, Souya understood his gastritis was affecting him, stepping in quietly to tell him to _leave it to me_. When his opponents faced him on the board, he could see the ropes of their necks tighten with concentration, how their brows furrowed when they pondered a move.

It wasn't so easy to read people in social situations, and even when Souya could hear he had trouble with it.

But Souya tolerated it, because it came with it: the crowds and the fawning adoration. The misplaced faith in him, the weight he carried before he sat in front of the board.

xXx

.

The young kid, Kiriyama Rei, looked nervous. Souya watched as he stumbled over his answers, his face turning pink while reporters crowded around him.

Souya understood. He didn't like talking to reporters either.

There was a flashing bulb, short bursts of light as reporters photographed him. Souya smiled brightly and delivered his answer.

"I've been coming to Iwate for a number of championship matches, but I'd also like to visit without playing a match someday."

Confusion. The crowd glanced at each other. Souya had an uneasy sense that he misunderstood the question. He glanced back at Kiriyama and saw that his face was pale.

When you make a bad move in shogi, you can recover if you play only the best moves. So Souya smiled, trying to pass it off. "Yes, thank you very much," he said, before they could ask him any more questions, and turned.

He didn't notice the waitress standing next to him until he knocked into her, two glasses of wine spilling over his suit.

The crowd erupted. Souya was startled and confused and there was a reporter shoving a microphone in his face. Another question. Souya forced a smile.

"Yes, I believe many people from Morioka will come tomorrow, so I would like to do my best to have a great match with Kiriyama-5-dan that people can enjoy."

The crowd looked aghast. A reporter spoke but Souya couldn't make out the words.

Was that the right question? There were too few moves on the board, and all of them looked bad.

The Chairman finally saw him. Souya couldn't read his lips, he was too flustered. Like a deer that has seized up in front of an oncoming car, Souya stood there, smiling painfully while red wine dripped down his suit. He felt a firm hand grasp his arm and he realized the Chairman was grabbing him, admonishing him and talking in his ear.

"You absentminded general," the Chairman said, and it was the only thing Souya could read. He said something more, but Souya didn't understand, he was too flustered. Around him, the crowd rippled while the hotel staff bowed apologetically.

The Chairman dragged him to the concierge office, where the man stammered and apparently told them they couldn't take out red wine. Souya didn't look at them, flushed and embarrassed, while the Chairman moaned and tried to wipe the wine off his arm.

xXx

.

"Souya, you idiot! I can't believe you only packed one suit!"

The Chairman was digging through Souya's bag. He traveled light - only a briefcase with match papers and an extra pair of socks and underwear, Souya had planned to re-wear his suit for the match and travel with it home.

"Geez. I'll have to make some phone calls, hang on."

Souya stood at the edge of the doorway uneasily. He wished his grandmother were there. She would smile at him, sign something comforting and promise to laugh with him about it later. The Chairman stomped over to him, clapping him on the arm.

"You're going to wear a kimono," the Chairman said.

"Really? But it's just a commemorative match-"

The Chairman gave him a look that brooked no argument, and Souya stopped speaking.

_This is the image we'll make of you,_ the Chairman had said, well before Souya's hearing loss, before he had any sort of diagnosis. _A beautiful, aloof, enigmatic bird. A mysterious presence touched by god._

It would make for good posters, for drumming up sponsors and whipping up fans. _Think of the Association_, the Chairman said, and Souya listened to him.

xXx

.

The day of the match came. Souya saw the mistake, but his opponent was still quick on his feet. He saw the look of shock, the painful jolt of the boy's fingertips. "That's how it is," Souya said later, and the boy looked up at him in wonder.

It had always been this way. People were easiest to understand when they were sitting across from him at the board.

He was tired. The after-remarks wore him out even more than the opening ceremony, because he was aware of his mistake and he didn't want a repeat of yesterday. Somehow he muddled through it, and he retreated to his room, where he found his suit dry-cleaned and pressed, hanging smartly beneath a plastic cover at the doorway. Souya dressed carefully, folding the kimono back in its ceremonial box, before putting on his suit and tie. Outside, the sky was beginning to darken, but he didn't bother to switch on the light. Dressing quickly, he folded the box under his arm, intending to return it to the Chairman's friend, then headed out to the station.

xXx

.

The train kept rocking, hurting his head.

The path of the bullet train was mostly a smooth one, but Souya was tired, the night before spent hunched over his ruined shirt and a washbasin, desperately trying to get out the stains. Somehow the movement seemed more pronounced to him, and even though the train was moving smoothly he felt a distinct swaying that he knew was only in his head. Closing his eyes, he tried to shut out the sensation - the vertigo was a part of his illness, one that disrupted his equilibrium - and soon enough the exhaustion of the match and the effort he spent the night before overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes, and the darkness lulled him to sleep.

xXx

.

A hand.

Souya jerked awake and pulled back, startled. Kiriyama Rei was standing in front of him, talking. His mouth was moving but no one else was around them. Standing, Souya looked around and saw the rain hitting the windows with harsh slants, and the empty seats around the train.

_Oh,_ he realized. _They must have suspended services._

There was a gentle tug on his arm, and he realized Kiriyama Rei was motioning to follow him. Souya looked around again, then followed hesitantly.

Once, Souya was waiting at a crosswalk, when he saw the sign in front of him turn green. He stepped out into the street confidently, only to be suddenly yanked back with great force. He stumbled and a truck that had ran a red barreled through the crosswalk, the hand of the passerby the only thing that stopped him.

He was grateful for Kiriyama. He couldn't hear, so he couldn't use a phone, and Kiriyama graciously got them reservations. Kiriyama walked, then stopped, then walked again, at times glancing backward to make sure Souya was following him.

They got to their rooms. Souya unlocked the door, then silently set down his bag.

xXx

.

One day later than he was supposed to arrive, his grandmother shuffled toward the door.

Touji-chan! Where were you? I was so worried! I thought you were caught up in the typhoon.

I was, grandma. But I'm fine. That young boy helped me.

Oh? his grandmother signs. Kiriyama Rei?

Souya nodded, smiling. His grandmother took his coat.

No one talked to him. Other than his grandmother, and the hamfisted attempts the Chairman made, no one tried to understand him. Souya walked into Shogi Hall to sign certificates and saw how the other players laugh and talk amongst themselves, jostling and currying favor.

But it was fine. It had always been fine. He could communicate with them by playing with them, show them his heart with the moves on the board.

Outside, the entryway was swarming with fans. Souya lifted his head and walked past them.

xXx

.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Souya. But we haven't quite pinned down a diagnosis."

The doctor was sitting across from him, a clipboard in his hand, while Souya sat on the little stool, alone and scared in the cold, sterile room. "We think it might be autoimmune," the doctor was saying, but Souya couldn't quite make out the words. "Usually a syndrome like this would also affect the eyes, but in some instances, only your hearing would be affected."

"Will it come back?" Souya asked, but the doctor shook his head. "Is there any way we can treat it?"

"We can try another course of corticosteroids, but it seems your disease may have progressed beyond the point to where we can treat it. Unfortunately, Mr. Souya, your hearing may get even worse."

The door clicked as Souya dully shut it behind him. In the waiting room, patients murmured and flipped through magazines, and Souya walked past them silently. He had a title match in the morning, he should have been at home, preparing. Not wasting time at the doctors, who said they could do nothing for him.

He slid open the door to his grandmother's house. His grandmother was standing at the kitchen with her back toward him. There was no way she could hear him, but she wiped her hand on her apron and turned.

Touji! Her eyes were wide. She rushed toward him. Touji-chan, what's wrong?

A tear slipped. Souya smiled.

My hearing isn't coming back, Grandma.

xXx

.

It was after the Lion King match, and Souya was exhausted. He looked out at the crowd of adoring fans and steeled himself for their questions.

Someone tapped his shoulder. Souya looked up.

Shimada smiled wanly. He sat down heavily next to him, holding out a pad of paper.

_Thanks_, he wrote. His handwriting was short and scratchy. _For earlier today. I appreciate it._

"You're welcome," Souya said. And he steeled himself, mentally preparing for the rest of the show.

.

.

* * *

Note: I headcanon that what Souya has is Cogan's Syndrome - it's one of the few causes of post-lingual deafness that's characterized by waxing/waning hearing loss and can be exacerbated by stress, as is the case with Souya.


	2. In Check

.

.

There was a white-haired man standing in their shop.

Akari peered around the register, watching. The man was staring intently at a box of sweets. Akari adjusted her scarf, then wiped her hands.

"We have a special on taro cakes," Akari said. She walked behind the counter. "The green tea cakes are one of our bestsellers, too."

The man didn't look up. Akari hovered, uncertainly.

"Ano," she began, and she glanced at the storeroom, where her grandfather and the others were boiling jam. "I'll be here if you need anything."

She started to leave when the man looked up, startled.

"My apologies," Akari began, and the man smiled apologetically. He took out his phone and texted on the screen.

[My apologies. I'm deaf. Did you say something?]

"Oh!" Akari said. "I was just taking about the cakes-" and then her hand flew to her mouth, embarrassed. She looked around the counter and found a pricing note pad.

_Cakes are on sale_, she wrote. _I recommend the red bean ones_.

The man smiled, then pointed at the glass.

"One box?" Akari asked, and the man held up a finger. Yes, one.

She gave him a box and rang it up. The man bowed, then left the store.

xXx

.

He came back a few days later. Akari waved at him from the register, then quickly wrote on a notepad.

_Did you like the cakes?_ she wrote, and showed him. He pulled out his phone.

[Yes. I'd like another box, please]

Akari went behind the counter and wrapped up the box. The man smiled and bowed.

xXx

.

He kept coming back, buying box after box.

Akari wondered how one person could eat so many sweets.

xXx

.

Somehow, demand for their red bean cakes went up.

"Grandpa, we're selling out!" Akari said. Another group of people came in asking for the Special Crescent Moon Box.

"Didn't the kid take some to the association?" her grandfather asked. He looked at the numbers in his ledger. "Sales have been going up ever since."

Later, the bell to the shop door jingled, and the Chairman of the Shogi Association walked in.

"Welcome," Akari and the other workers said, while the Chairman walked around them.

"One box of sweets," the Chairman said, setting the box down at the register. Akari smiled and began ringing him up. "These must be really good. My star player keeps buying them."

"Thank you," Akari said. The Chairman grinned.

"Well you know, I don't know if he's coming here just for the sweets." The Chairman winked. "Let's see what happens if i give him this! Ha ha! That'll be a riot. I'll tell him, _Guess what, you idiot, I already got them_. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him."

"Oh," Akari said. She smiled, awkwardly.

"You do know our Meijin, right, Miss?"

"Um," Akari said. She smiled.

"I don't think I've had the pleasure," Akari said.

xXx

.

She was working the register again when the white-haired man came back.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Akari said. "We're sold out."

The man lowered his eyes, and Akari flushed, realizing. There wasn't a napkin around so she wrote on her hand.

_My apologies_, she wrote quickly. The ink smudged her skin but she kept writing. _The red bean cakes-_

"Sold out?"

Akari's head snapped up. The man smiled at her apologetically.

"I can read lips," he said. "I only lost my hearing just recently."

Akari stared at him, then looked at her hand.

The man laughed softly.

xXx

.

He bought different pastries. A few different tea cakes. A bag of candy. Akari would wrap the items into a box and watch how their stock would sell out after he's bought them.

"Why didn't you talk the first time you came in?" Akari asked, as he was paying. The man hesitated.

"It's too much like pretending," the man said. "Hearing people make assumptions. It's easier to write things down."

His eyes grew hazy. He looked down at his hands.

"In my job, I have to pretend I still have my hearing. It's nice not to pretend, sometimes."

"Oh," Akari said, and she couldn't help but think the man looked sad.

xXx

.

The man came into the shop, and Akari waved at him brightly.

HELLO, she signed at him. The man's eyes widened.

You know how to sign?

Akari giggled, giddy. She signed clumsily in front of him.

I'M NOT VERY GOOD. BUT I WANT TO TRY.

He was smiling. You need someone to practice with, he signed, smiling.

"Eh?" Akari blinked. The man smiled.

"I said, you need someone to practice with," the man said. He set the box of sweets by the register.

His hair was falling over his eyes. Akari watched as he slipped his credit card into the machine, then noticed how his hair seemed to fall over his glasses.

She brushed his hair back. He looked up, startled.

"Oh!" Akari pulled back. "I'm so sorry! Why did I do that?" but the man's eyes were wide, and a bright blush cracked across his face.

"Ahem," someone said, and Akari looked at the line forming behind them.

The man grabbed the box, then bowed, apologizing, while the customer rolled his eyes and set down another box. Akari rung him up, then leaned over the register, hoping to catch the man's eye.

He looked back. Akari smiled at him and signed.

THANK YOU, AND PLEASE COME AGAIN SOON.

xXx

.

He said his name was Touji.

"My name is Akari," Akari said, and she wrote down her name on a notepad, showing him.

He was a shogi player. Akari laughed.

"I've met so many shogi players since meeting Rei!"

She told him about Shimada and Nikaidou, all their comfy get-togethers. She told him about Hayashida, Rei-chan's teacher. She told him about Hina and Rei.

It was nighttime now, and they were walking along the river. The moon was out, and Akari could see how its reflection was broken up on the surface of the water. Akari looked up, and saw how the moonlight gently lit the side of Touji's face.

_He really is a handsome man, isn't he?_ The thought fluttered in and out of her head before she could catch it, and Akari blushed, brightly.

It was too dark for him to read lips, so they passed his phone back and forth, Akari texting and Touji answering quietly.

[Is it strange?] Akari texted. [Speaking and not being able to hear yourself? I bet that must be very hard]

"It's not bad," Touji said. He smiled at her over his glasses. "In my head I can almost hear myself, what I used to sound like. So that helps me out a lot."

[Do you have another match?]

"Yes, in Sendai, later this week. But I have a local one in the morning."

[In Shogi Hall?]

"Yes, Shogi Hall."

Their fingers brushed. Akari took the phone from him and blushed brightly.

[I'm sorry for all the questions] she texted, trying to ignore the warmth that was rising in her face. [I don't know much about shogi]

But she reddened as he stepped close to read over her shoulder.

"I like that you don't know much about it," he said quietly, and Akari looked up, searching his eyes.

xXx

.

Her grandfather was yelling at the TV.

"I can't believe it!" her grandfather said. "He lost another match!"

"What?" Akari said. She wiped her hands on her apron, walking into the living room.

Rei and Nikaidou were sitting on their knees, riveted in front of the TV, while her grandfather hollered expletives.

"This is the third match! He'll lose his title if he has another loss!"

"What title?" Akari asked, looking over. Nikaidou and Rei turned.

"It's the Lion King Championship," Rei said. "Namerikawa-7-dan is beating Meijin Souya in an upset. He's never had a losing streak this bad before."

"Huh," Akari said, while Nikaidou sat up and yelled at the TV.

"Keep fighting, Souya-san!" Nikaidou yelled. Akari sat down next to them.

"So he'll lose the Lion King title?" she asked.

Rei nodded. "It's best of seven," Rei said. "If he loses this next match it'll be all over."

"I can't believe it," Nikaidou said. "I can't believe anyone would defeat the Meijin!"

Akari watched as her grandfather and the two boys stared at the TV.

They were interviewing the winner. Akari stopped listening, feeding the cats and the setting the table, when vaguely she heard the interviewer.

"_And now to our Meijin_," the interviewer said. "_Are you worried you will be defeated?_"

"_I only want to play my best_," a familiar voice said, and Akari lifted her head. "_However, I've been a bit distracted._"

"_Can a Meijin afford distractions?_" Akari walked toward the TV. "_This is the single worst losing streak of your career. Your title of Lion King is on the line. Do you think you can defend it?"_

"_Yes,_" Touji said, and Akari's eyes widened.

"_I promise I will do my best_."

xXx

.

This was their conversation at the side of the river:

[How did your match go?] Akari texted. Touji peered over her shoulder.

"Oh," he said. He smiled sheepishly. "I lost again."

[Oh no!] Akari texted. [Are you upset?]

"It's okay," he said. "These things happen."

From the way he talked about it, Akari thought he was ranked like Nikaidou and Rei - somewhere in a middling rank, sometimes winning and losing matches.

But he was a _Meijin_, and he was losing because he was distracted!

Akari held her head in her hands.

xXx

.

"You shouldn't be here," Akari said, when Touji walked into the shop. Touji blinked and Akari rushed up to him, worried. "Shouldn't you be studying? Your title is on the line! I saw it!"

Touji blinked at her. Akari grabbed a notepad.

_I saw your match! One more loss and you'll lose your title!  
You need to be studying, you shouldn't be visiting me!_

She ripped another page out before Touji could say anything.

_Where do you live? I'm cooking you dinner so you can eat something and concentrate_. Touji's eyes widened.

"Um..." his voice seemed thick, like he had swallowed a loaf of dry bread.

Kyoto, he signed.

Akari blinked. _Sorry, did you just sign 'Kyoto'?_

Touji nodded, sheepishly.

Akari wrote furiously. _Touji! That's two hours away!_

"Yes," he said. He shifted uncomfortably. "It's not that long."

"Not that long?!" The other customers stared. Akari scribbled furiously.

_That's a four-hour round trip! You shouldn't be wasting your time!_  
_ If it's a matter of placing orders, I understand you can't use the phone,_  
_ but you have my number, you can email me your order!_  
_ We can even deliver it to your house! There's no reason for you to travel that far!  
_

Touji blinked. He stared at the paper.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Touji said.

"For your orders," Akari said. Touji stared at her.

"Oh," he said. And then, "Yes."

"Thank you," he said, and he bowed awkwardly.

xXx

.

The shogi world was breathless.

Meijin Souya made a comeback. Four winning consecutive matches. He dominated them so utterly Namerikawa-7-dan was decimated.

Akari waited. She expected him to show up at the shop again; she wanted to invite him to dinner at her house and celebrate with him.

But he didn't show up. Weeks turned to months, and Meijin Souya was gone.

xXx

.

The bell to the shop door jingled.

"Welcome," Akari said automatically, and the Chairman of the Shogi Association strolled in.

She smiled as he waved cheerfully and began perusing their boxes of cake.

"You know, Souya really loves these sweets," the Chairman said. He picked up a box, showing her. "I thought I'd give him a box since he's so depressed."

"Depressed?" Akari said. The Chairman nodded.

"He's a shogi monster when he's depressed. Maybe you can stop by? I'm sure he'd be happy if you delivered them."

"Eh?" Akari lifted her head. The Chairman grinned at her.

xXx

.

She stood outside of Shogi Hall, holding the box of sweets. The Chairman said he was signing certificates; she didn't want to bother him.

"Uwah! It's Akari-chan!" Issa said, and Smith hooted. Akari smiled as her shogi regulars waved at her, as if she were coming from the bar.

He was signing certificates. She watched as he signed his name with the ink brush, his handwriting neat and elegant.

Carefully she set down the box in front of him. Touji lifted his eyes.

A look of surprise, and then his whole face turned pink. The ink dripped onto the paper.

"Aggh! Souya! You idiot!" The Chairman ran between them. "You're dripping all over the certificates. _Geez_," the Chairman said, and Touji looked stricken. Akari laughed, fondly.

xXx

.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," Touji said. They were talking quietly since it was near Touji's work, he had to pretend he could hear.

"I got worried when I didn't see you," Akari said. "I wanted to make you dinner, remember?"

He smiled shyly. Akari stepped closer.

She brushed the hair from his eyes, then straightened out his suit jacket. He looked down at her hands, before covering hers with his.

xXx

.

Shimada-san and Hayashida-san spat out their drinks when they saw him.

"S-Souya-san?!"

"Souya Meijin?!"

Touji smiled. "Hello," he said. Akari moved around him.

"I wanted to make a celebratory dinner!" Akari said. Rei sat on his knees and blanched.

"Oh god," Hayashida moaned. "We've been outclassed." Shimada shook his head.

"Who are we kidding, we never stood a chance."

"Thank you for having me," Souya said, bowing.

The other men stared at him awkwardly.


	3. Worries

.

.

She had something she wanted to talk to him about. Souya nodded, and together they walked to the river.

In the dark, she sat hunched over the small screen of his phone, sitting on the bridge steps and texting on the screen. Souya could see how her face was illuminated by the light of the phone, which seemed to brighten and darken as she texted. He peered over her shoulder and read.

[My father left my mother when Hina was small]  
[He came back again, but he left again when my mother was pregnant with Momo]  
[He didn't come back after that]  
[He was a precious, irreplaceable person, and he made my mother cry like that]  
[I don't want to fall in love. It would be too scary for me]  
[I don't want to rely on someone and have them leave me]

A tear slipped. Akari wiped her eyes.

[Sorry. I can't talk to my sisters about this.]  
[I'm supposed to take care of them]  
[You're a good friend, Touji]

Quietly, Souya handed her a handkerchief, which Akari used to dab her eyes.

They sat on the stairs to the bridge, Souya with his hands on his lap while Akari was hunched over, miserably. The wind was rising, and even though he couldn't hear it, he could almost feel the vibrations of the waves crashing along the docks by the shore.

Akari touched him on the arm.

They should probably get back. He understood without her having to say it. The night was darker now, the stars and moon covered by clouds, and it seemed like everything was covered in shadow.

xXx

.

He missed the last train running to Kyoto.

Souya looked around the train station, then pulled out his phone, searching for a hotel. Hopefully he could book a reservation online, find a place to stay and quietly leave in the morning.

Booked. Booked. He changed the criteria from Tokyo to March City. Surprisingly, also booked.

The trains at least were running locally, and so he took a train back to Shogi Hall. There were still a few matches going on and the doors were still unlocked - he hoped he could sneak in and find a empty place without anyone noticing.

The hallway was dark except for the light in the viewing room, where he was sure people were watching the matches. He walked past the office and the copy machine, then found an empty room with a couch and a TV.

Oh. This is where the Chairman and Yanagihara-san often watched matches. Souya looked around, then closed the door behind him.

xXx

.

He was curled up on the couch when he felt a hand shaking his shoulder violently.

Souya squinted, then opened his eyes. He had been facing the back of the couch, so he groped for his glasses and rolled over to see who was shaking him.

"-ouya! Souya! You idiot! If you're gonna sleep here the least you could do is lock the door!"

The Chairman was standing over him. He couldn't hear the Chairman, but the words were so exaggerated he could practically see them flying out of his mouth.

"So?" The Chairman said. "Where were you? Spending time with that Kawamoto-san? Eh?"

Souya lowered his eyes. He didn't want to talk about this.

"Come on," the Chairman said, and he motioned for Souya to follow him.

Souya sat blankly. The Chairman turned around.

"Oi!" The Chairman said. "I can't have my star player sleeping in Shogi Hall like some sort of hobo. I said _come on_."

Souya sighed, then picked up his coat, following him.

xXx

.

"Where are we going?" Souya thought they were driving to the Chairman's house, but the driver turned a different direction.

"You know." The Chairman grinned. "Your girlfriend's."

Souya's eyes widened. The Chairman leaned back and grinned.

"Chairman." Souya couldn't hear himself, but he knew his voice was strained. "Please, don't."

"Why? I already called her. She told me to bring you over."

"I-if you could call Shimada-8-dan, or even Kiriyama Rei-"

"What? And miss out on quality time with your girlfriend?" The Chairman winked at him.

"Please," Souya said. "Take me back to Shogi Hall. Let me sleep on the couch."

The Chairman frowned at him. "You have a fight?" the Chairman asked. "Lover's quarrel? Pah! I don't see someone like you getting into a fight. Maybe she's jealous of all your shogi matches-"

"She...she isn't my girlfriend."

"Coulda fooled me." The Chairman winked at him.

The taxi pulled up at the house, where Akari was standing on the steps, waiting for him.

"I'm sorry-" Souya began, but the Chairman pushed him forward.

"Please take care of him," the Chairman said, and he bowed.

Akari waved and met him up the stairs.


	4. Pieces

.

.

It all started innocently enough.

Kiriyama-6-dan showed up to Shogi Hall carrying a bag of cakes. "The sweet shop owners that are always helping me told me to help myself to these tea cakes," he said. The Chairman peered into the bag as Kiriyama began unloading them. "If you order dorayaki, you could even get your name printed on them."

"Oooh," the Chairman said, and he picked up a sweet. "Hey guys," he called out to the other shogi players. "We got snacks here!"

"Oooh," one player said, while another cooed, "I'd love some!" and the players descended on the table where Kiriyama had laid out the cakes.

Souya, of course, had no idea; he obviously couldn't hear them, and he was too busy signing rank diplomas to notice the pack of shogi players snatching up the cakes. The Chairman picked up a cake and walked toward him.

"Hey Souya," the Chairman said, and he stepped into Souya's field of vision. "You want some? Here," he said, and he dangled the cake in front of him.

Souya blinked, then looked up.

"Tch. Don't drip all over the diplomas, put the brush down," the Chairman said, and Kiriyama walked over to talk to them.

Souya smiled politely as Kiriyama talked - the kid knew Souya couldn't hear, but Souya just nodded along as if he could understand him - then fiddled with the snacks, opening the wrapper. He started dropping crumbs all over the diplomas, so the Chairman sighed and subtly moved the paper.

There weren't any more snacks. Souya walked over to the table and opened the empty bag.

"Here," the Chairman said, and he pointed at the poster Kiriyama had taped up on the bulletin board. "This is their address so you can order more snacks."

Souya's face brightened. He tore off a slip and slipped it into his bag.

Geez. The Chairman shook his head. In a lot of ways, Souya was like a little kid. _Well that's to be expected_, the Chairman thought. He was a classic case of arrested development.

xXx

.

They were discussing promo posters, the Chairman and Yanagihara looking over the various layouts, when Souya walked in, unexpected.

The Chairman looked up. Souya had a box of cakes, which he set carefully on the counter.

"Back again?" Yanagihara said. Souya nodded, smiling. The Chairman and Yanagihara glanced at each other.

Souya rarely traveled to Shogi Hall unless it was for a match or to do paperwork - he lived in Kyoto, which was a two-hour commute, so the Chairman took great pains to stack things so Souya didn't have to travel.

They watched as Souya went to the copier, copying match papers.

"Hmm," Yanagihara said, leaning back. "He's probably doing research on his potential challengers."

"Ever the diligent boy," the Chairman said, and they watched as Souya shuffled his papers.

Two days later, he showed up at Shogi Hall again, this time with two boxes of sweets, which he set in the common room. The Chairman and Yanagihara glanced at each other.

"You do like these sweets," the Chairman said. He wandered over to the box, looking at the label.

Souya smiled. He carefully selected a couple cakes - one chestnut, the other taro - and left the others for the other players.

"Ne, Toku-chan," Yanagihara said. "What's he doing here?"

"Beats me," the Chairman said. "It just looks like he only bought sweets." They looked up and saw Souya start to leave. The Chairman stepped in front of him.

"Oi, Souya," the Chairman said. "Next time let me get those sweets. You won't have to travel if I get 'em for ya."

"Ah, Toku-chan, let him get them," Yanagihara said. He fanned himself with a newsletter. "He's obviously enjoying it." They watched as Souya bowed politely and left again, carrying the paper bag.

xXx

.

The Chairman went to Crescent Moon, just to take a look around. Obviously if Souya liked them so much, he could probably pick up a few boxes and write them off. Match-related expenses, the Chairman reasoned.

He was about to walk into the store when he saw it: Souya was back in the store again, standing at the register with his back toward him. The Chairman raised his eyebrows. He was about to open the door and walk toward him when he saw the shopgirl walk out from the back storeroom.

Oh ho ho! This was the piece that solved the mystery! The Chairman rubbed his hands together, giddy.

The shopgirl seemed friendly. She wrote on a notepad to communicate with him. Souya, meanwhile, just stood there, looking like a tree or building or a stupid lighthouse, a middle school dropout with exactly zero charisma and just as much sex appeal.

_Ack, Souya!_ the Chairman cringed internally.

Souya picked up his boxes - a few assorted bags of sweets this time, far too many for one man to eat - then walked out of the store, smiling.

"Souya! Oi, Souya!"

The Chairman ran in front of him. Souya stopped, startled, the heavy bags banging against his legs.

"Where are you going? Are you going to Shogi Hall?" the Chairman gaped at him. "Let me guess, you took the train all the way from Kyoto just to visit that shopgirl, and now you're going home.

"What, you like sweets?" the Chairman said doubtfully, before Souya could protest. "What did you buy? Let me see..."

He rummaged through Souya's bags, while Souya stood there, reddening.

Three boxes of assorted cakes. One bag of hard candies. One small case of green tea mochi. The Chairman started laughing.

"Oh boy," the Chairman said. "You spent all your winnings on these!"

Souya reddened. The Chairman grinned at him.

"Ne, Souya," the Chairman said. "If you're gonna drop that kind of cash, you should ask her out to dinner. Because right now, she just sees you as a customer."

"I-" Souya didn't look at him.

"I just like their sweets," he said.

The Chairman raised his eyebrows.

"Well," the Chairman said. He clapped Souya on the shoulder.

"Nevermind all that. You got the Lion King match to contend with, and Namerikawa-7-dan looks like he's going to be the challenger."


	5. Tournament

.

.

The upset surprised everyone.

"Uwah," someone said. "Namerikawa-7-dan beat Souya-san."

"Wow," someone said. "Amazing." Flashbulbs burst all around them.

Namerikawa rose, grinning, ever the undertaker in his dark suit and looking somehow like he was clad in witches' robes, while Souya sat in front of the shogi board, graciously conceding.

"Wow," Issa said. "I bet Souya-san is depressed." Beside him, Smith nodded.

"He has a winning rate of seventy-percent. Even so, it's hard to imagine him with any losses."

In the press room, Namerikawa had seized the microphone and was answering questions creepily. ("I can see their souls in the reflections of their eyes," Namerikawa said, and the reporter's face blanched visibly.)

Souya seemed oddly okay, despite losing another match. Instead of moving slowly out the room, he walked out as if he were the victor, smiling pleasantly and nodding toward his fans.

"Souya-sama! Meijin Souya! Can you answer a few questions about the match?"

Souya smiled.

"Namerikawa-7-dan played an exciting match," Souya said. "I am happy to be the one who lost to him. I look forward to seeing what he does at the final match."

"Souya-sama! Meijin Souya! Are you worried you will be defeated?"

Souya smiled graciously.

"I only want to play my best," he said, smiling, and his eyes creased into two happy crescents. "However, I admit I've been a bit distracted."

"That stupid idiot!" the Chairman said. He smashed open the door, stomping angrily toward Yanagihara while Issa and Smith ducked behind a houseplant. "I can't believe Souya's lost three times! What does he think he's doing? What about the sponsors? The _fans_."

"It's true, Toku-chan. I've never seen him lose this bad. He'll lose his title if he loses another match." Yanagihara set down his cup of tea, then looked up at the chairman over his glasses.

"You talk to him?" Yanagihara asked. The Chairman groaned.

"Of course I talked to him. And you know what that airhead said?" The Chairman sat up, imitating him.

"_You always said people preferred drama, Chairman. I thought you'd be happy with this kind of show._ Pah!" The Chairman said. "As if that moron has any comprehension of how bad it is. We're hemorrhaging sponsors. There's even talk about him losing fans."

"Wow," Issa said, peeking over the palm fronds. "The Chairman sounds really mad." Smith nodded.

"And Souya-san doesn't seem all that upset about it."

"If it were me," Issa said, "A losing streak would kill me. I can't even imagine what it'd be like for a guy like him." They peered over the houseplant, listening.

"Is he sick?" Yanagihara asked. "This is quite unusual for him. Is there something wrong with him?" The Chairman shook his head.

"Worse," the Chairman said. He listed his hand on his forehead.

"Souya's got a girlfriend."

_Eh?!_ Issa and Smith exchanged looks. Yanagihara sat forward.

"What? Really? _Souya?_"

The Chairman nodded. "The poor girl has no idea she's the object of that idiot's affections. All he does is buy cakes from her," the Chairman said, moaning. "The numbskull is so fixated he's stopped paying attention!"

"From the sounds of it, he's probably thinking about her instead of concentrating on the match," Yanagihara said, frowning.

Behind the plant, Issa and Smith looked at each other.

xXx

.

"GUYS," Issa said. "Souya's got a girlfriend!"

"What?"

"Seriously?"

"HAH?!"

"It's true," Issa said. "Smith and I overheard the Chairman!"

Kumakura snorted. "I find it hard to believe Meijin Souya would be so easily distracted."

"He's been smiling a lot more, though. Maybe it's true?"

The players watched. Meijin Souya seemed unbothered by his losses. He popped a piece of cake in his mouth, perusing through a book of match records.

xXx

.

The day of the fourth match, the air was different.

Souya stepped in; the camera panned to his face, which was expressionless. He wasn't smiling. His eyes were hidden behind a bright glare.

Namerikawa and Souya bowed at each other.

"Let's have a good match," they said.

And Namerikawa grinned viciously, setting one skeletal hand on the shogi board.

It was over before they knew it.

"I-" Namerikawa licked his lips. He stared.

"I have lost," Namerikawa said. The observers jumped up, shouting.

"What?"

"Seriously?"

"That fast?!"

They couldn't see Souya's eyes behind his glasses.

"He's been checked." A hush in the crowd. The players crowded around the TV stared. "In exactly twenty-three moves. He's already been mated."

Flash bulbs. Namerikawa collapsed in a heap in front of the board, shocked and shaking, while Meijin Souya stood up, silently.

"Meijin Souya! Meijin Souya! That was an incredible win after three losses! Is it true that you're no longer distracted?"

He stopped. His face was expressionless.

"I look forward to the next match."

"Meijin Souya, one last question-"

But Souya turned before they could ask them.

xXx

.

He won the Lion King tournament, as expected.

In Shogi Hall, Issa and Smith looked up to see Souya walk silently toward the copy machine. He was moving slowly, his face a perfect mask.

"So," Kumakura said. His arms were crossed. He leaned toward Souya's gaze to make sure Souya could see him.

"Is it true you got a girlfriend?"

Souya's voice was hollow when he answered him.

"No."


	6. Mated (mature content)

.

.

Akari gasped, throwing an arm over Souya's back as he panted into her neck. The tight press of their bodies made her strain against him, and the covers on the futon bunched up as they moved, kissing clumsily and breathing heavily.

He pulsed inside her and she laughed into his neck, resting one sweaty arm across his back, happily.

"I can't believe we did that," Akari said, before she realized he was resting his head on her chest, there was no way he could see what she said. "Hey," she said, tapping him on the shoulder. He looked up at her.

"I can't believe we did that," she said again. He laughed softly.

It wasn't supposed to happen, but Momo was asleep, her grandfather was spending the night at the shop, and Hina was away on a school trip.

But then the Chairman called, explaining Souya had missed his train, all the hotels were booked, could he possibly stay at her place?

And somewhere between Akari's apologies (she was the one who kept him too long, she was the reason why he missed the train), and Souya's protestations (he was sorry for bothering her, it was so late and he shouldn't be here), he stared a little bit too intently at her lips, and she stood a bit too close to make sure he could see them.

And one thing lead to another, and she hoped Momo didn't hear them.


	7. Doorbell

.

.

The train to Kyoto was a two-hour ride; Akari carefully wrapped her bento box with a handkerchief, putting in food that would last a long time.

There was a self-imposed distance during the Kishin Championships, Akari earnestly texting him that _it's an important match! You can't let yourself get distracted!_ But that was a month ago and Akari was finding that she missed him.

_I'll just drop the food off_. Akari hugged the bento box. Through the window, the streets and buildings whirred by, the landscape changing its colors. _I'll just give him this food and I won't take long._

She looked at the address to his house. There were long, cobblestone steps which went up a winding path, and Akari slowly climbed up, holding the bento box carefully.

Maybe she shouldn't be here. Akari shifted the box against her hip, frowning. Touji needed to concentrate. What if he got irritated with her for suddenly showing up?

She should have texted him. Akari hovered in front of the door, nervously. Maybe she should just leave the box?

_But the food might get wasted_, her mind chanted. _I'll just stand at the doorway and drop it off_. And she mustered up the courage and rang the doorbell.

The doorbell didn't work.

Akari deflated. Would anyone hear her if she knocked?

"Ano..." Akari rapped her knuckles on the door, awkwardly.

A bust. He might not even be home right now. She traveled all the way to Kyoto for nothing.

Sighing, she turned, hitching her box against her hip, when the door slid open.

"Oh! Touji-"

But the man who answered the door wasn't Touji.

xXx

.

"My name is Dobashi Kenji, class A, 9th dan. It's very nice to meet you!"

"You as well," Akari said. She clutched the box against her chest, nervously.

"I've known Souya-kun since we were kids. He told me all about you!"

"Oh," Akari said. She looked around. "Is he here right now?"

"Mm." Dobashi opened the door, motioning her to follow him.

Touji was going over a stack of papers. The curtains were half-open, and a bright light was streaming over where he was sitting. It had the effect of lighting up his silhouette, which was the picture of perfect concentration.

"Souya. Oi, Souya."

Dobashi snapped his fingers in front of Touji's face, startling him. Dobashi pointed.

"Your girlfriend's here."

Akari lifted her hand, nervously.

Touji beamed. He stood up quickly, touching her shoulder.

"Ah, I made this for you." She made sure to face him. "I know you're busy, so I won't stay long-"

"Thank you," Touji said. He couldn't stop smiling. Behind him, Dobashi huffed.

"That guys always been ahead of me," Dobashi complained. "Always beating me in competition. Now my parents are gonna nag me 'cuz he'll be the first to get married."

"Eh?!" Akari reddened. Touji tilted his head.

What did he say? he signed.

"N-nothing," Akari stuttered. Touji turned around and glared at Dobashi.

"Were you making fun of her?"

"What? No! Of course not. You're more irritating when you're not playing shogi."

xXx

.

As it turned out, Dobashi was gunning for the Meijin Championships, and had been sleeping over at Touji's to study.

Akari giggled. It reminded her of Rei and Nikaidou.


	8. Doorbell, part 2

.

.

"Your doorbell's broken," Akari said.

"It is?" Souya stood up and followed her outside. Akari slid the door shut, then pressed down on the doorbell, frowning.

"See?" Akari said, and she tapped the doorbell a couple times for emphasis. Souya glanced around the mechanism, then slid open the door.

He pressed the doorbell. A bright strobe light lit up inside the house. Souya tilted his head.

"It seems like it's working," Souya said.


	9. Review Session

.

.

Rei lost to Kumakura-9-dan after his last match.

"This is where you messed up," Kumakura said, during the review session. They reset the board and Kumakura picked up a piece. "This is where you should have moved."

"3-7 promote?" Rei looked at the board.

It didn't feel right. There was something off about it. "What?" Kumakura said, and Rei yelped, intimidated.

"I-it just doesn't seem like that would be the right move-"

Kumakura glared at him.

"...Not that I know anything, since I'm the one who lost."

"Hmph."

xXx

.

"Ah," Shimada said, setting the board. "3-7 promote. Yes I agree, that would have been the more promising move."

"What about 3-7 Ryuu?" Nikaidou said, looking over. Shimada nodded.

"Yes, I think that would be a good move too."

"Something doesn't feel right about it," Rei said, looking at the board. Behind him, Shigeta snorted.

"I thought you were the one who lost," Shigeta said.

"I know, but-"

"You brats should quit complaining and learn something from this. Shut the hell up and study more."

xXx

.

"Oh," Akari said, and she brightened. "You should ask Touji."

"Eh?" Rei was stricken.

Souya Meijin had been coming around the Kawamoto sister's house. It was always strange when he was there. The house had a soft yellow glow that seemed to suffuse everything with a comforting warmth, and when the sisters talked or laughed everything just seemed so bright and loud. So when Rei opened the sliding door one day, his eyes widened to see the Meijin standing there, looking at an antique clock with his back toward him. The sisters were chattering away, lively and spirited, while the cats circled around the table meowing.

But Souya was as still as imperial porcelain, unmoving as he looked at the clock. It was a like a god was quietly observing them.

"A-ano..." Rei looked at his hands. "I don't want to bother him," Rei said.

"It wouldn't be a bother, I'm sure he won't mind," Akari said. "He's coming over tonight. I think you should ask him."

xXx

.

Rei hovered at the doorway, uneasily.

Souya Meijin was there again, and it seemed all sound had been swallowed up around him. Even the soft chatter of the girls making dinner seemed to fade out and get washed into the background.

"Oh, Touji." Akari signed as she talked. "Rei-chan has something he wanted to ask you."

"O-oh, Akari-san, it isn't necessary-" Rei began, but Souya raised his head and looked at him.

"A-ano..." Rei's face flushed. He looked at his hands.

"I lost to Kumakura-9-dan early in the last match."

Souya tilted his head. Kumakura was one of the few players who had beat him in the past.

"Apologies," Rei said. "I don't want to be a bother."

The words seemed to hang. Souya turned, then slowly looked at the shogi board shoved unceremoniously in the corner.

Oh. That was the one Rei got for Hina. Rei flushed and walked over to the board, bringing it to the table.

Somehow, the Meijin had knelt silently in front of him while Rei set the board up, trying to remember the formation. There was a look of quiet curiosity on Souya's face as Rei set up the pieces, and Rei felt himself flushing, suddenly self-conscious. He replicated the board at his losing move, then moved his piece. 3-7, promote.

Souya frowned at the board. "That doesn't feel right," Souya said. Rei's eyes widened. That's what Rei said.

"A-ano. Then should I have gone with 3-7 Ryuu?"

Souya studied the board, then quietly moved a piece. 4-4 Kaku.

"Eh?" Rei looked. It didn't seem to be any special move - if anything, it seemed wasted. Hina peered over Rei's shoulder curiously while one of the cats put its chin by the board.

A spotlight. The piece seemed to have a heavier weight. All the pieces around the board seemed to darken.

"Rei?" Hina looked at him. "Rei? What are you looking at? Was that a good move?"

"I-it..."

It would have turned around the game.

All of a sudden, Kumakura's threatmate disappeared, and Rei suddenly had the upper hand.

"He...he would have been mated after the eleventh move." Rei's eyes widened. "No matter where he'd go...he'd always be under threat. He'd have nowhere to run from that."

Amazing. How did nobody else see that?

Akari walked in, smiling.

"Did Touji help you?" Akari asked. Rei whirled around, wide-eyed.

"He totally transformed the match," Rei said. "With this formation, Kumakura-9-dan would have been trapped!"

He looked back at Souya, who was sitting quietly across from him. There was a serene expression on Souya's face. A hint of a smile. He gave Rei a slight nod.


	10. Condoms

.

.

"Hina. Rei. Touji and I are going out," Akari said. She was putting on her coat. Hina and Rei looked up. "We'll be out for a while so please don't stay up."

"_Hai_," Hina said, not looking. Akari turned to Rei.

"Rei. If you leave before we see you, have a good night. There's also leftovers in the fridge, so make sure you take some back."

"Thank you," Rei said, and Akari smiled. She waved and took Souya by the arm.

"They're going to a love hotel," Hina said, after they left. Rei sat up.

"Eh?"

Hina shrugged, doodling a few pictures of sweets and coloring on the paper. "They've been going there a lot."

Rei's face was red. He sputtered. "H-Hina-chan. That's private! And also, I'm sure it isn't true-"

"It is." She colored with a marker. "I overheard my aunt scolding her."

_"You met someone?" her aunt said. Hina crept by the door while her aunt and her sister talked. "Well that's unexpected. We'll have to get you to a doctor so you can get on the pill. But in the meantime, we'll need to get you condoms. You two haven't done anything yet, right?"_

_Through the crack in the door, Hina could see Akari wouldn't look at her._

_"Ano, Auntie..."_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Ano...Touji and I already...I mean..."_

_Their aunt's eyes widened._

_"Akari!" her aunt said. "Did you and that man already have sex?!"_

_Akari nodded, reddening. Her aunt slapped her hands on the table._

_"Please tell me at least you used a condom?!"_

_"It...ah...it just happened so fast..."_

_"Akari!" her aunt said, and Hina saw Akari cringe. "You're supposed to be the responsible one! What if you got pregnant? Or what if he gave you something? We're going to the doctor tomorrow! What on earth were you thinking?!" _

_"But Auntie, it was a safe day, and Touji had never been with anyone, and-"_

_"AKARI. There's no such thing as safe days! What have I been saying?!" Her aunt sat up and turned._

_"HINA," her aunt said, and Hina jumped. "Hina! Come here! Come talk with your aunt!"_

_Hina opened the door sheepishly._

_Her aunt pointed. "You and I are going to talk about sex." Meanwhile Akari slunk further and further into the chair._

Her aunt bought them condoms. _"These expire in a year, so next year, replace them," _her aunt said. She leaned toward Hina, menacingly.

_"If you and Rei end up doing anything,"_ her aunt said, and her eye flashed._ "Make sure you use them."_

"EH?!" Rei said, as Hina told him. "But... but...but I would never do anything like that!"

"I know!" Hina said.

"I mean, I'm just helping you study, I would never_ do_ something like that!"

"I know, I know!" Hina said.

She showed Rei the bowl of condoms her aunt stuck in the pantry, shoved unceremoniously between the spices. _"Because if they're in the bathroom you're going to forget,"_ her aunt said, and Akari reddened.

Rei's face was red. "I can't imagine Souya-san doing something like that." Hina sat forward.

"Right?!" Hina said. "I just thought he was another guy my sister was helping, like another stray cat."

The clock ticked. They fell silent for a moment.

"Do you think they're doing it right now?" Hina asked. Rei covered his ears.

"Aggh! I don't want to think about it!"

The cats meowed. Hina picked them up and set them by the table.


	11. Older Woman

.

.

The glass doors of Shogi Hall slid open. The players looked up, then gasped softly at the beautiful woman who walked in.

Black overcoat, matte red lipstick and sunglasses, she was tall and sophisticated, like a model from the pages of a fashion spread. Issa and Smith stared as she took off her sunglasses, tucking them into her purse before regarding them coldly.

"I'm looking for Souya Touji," she said, and Issa and Smith smartened.

"I'm sorry, are you a fan? He's in the middle of a match right now, however-"

"I am not a fan, young man. I have important matters to discuss with him."

Issa and Smith glanced at each other nervously.

xXx

.

"Chairman! Chairman!"

"What are they going on about?" Yanagihara said. Smith and Issa collided into each other, rushing through the viewing room door.

"There's a crazy-hot older woman asking for Souya-san!"

"Eh?" the Chairman said, and Yanagihara chuckled.

"Perhaps it's Souya-kun's responsible girlfriend?"

Issa and Smith paled. The Chairman moved out of the viewing room.

xXx

.

The woman was sitting in the waiting room, one slender leg crossed over the other. She opened her purse, then palmed a cigarette, looking for a lighter.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but there's no smoking here."

The woman looked up. The Chairman was standing in front of her.

"My name is Jinguuji Takanori, I'm Chairman of the Shogi Association. I understand you have some business with my Souya?"

"My name is Kawamoto Misaki," the woman said. "But what I have to discuss with him is a private matter."

"Mmm. Well unfortunately, Kawamoto-san, you will have to talk to him on his off-hours. This is his place of work."

"I am aware." The woman closed her purse. "I plan to wait for him here."

The Chairman frowned at her.

Souya finished the match. He and his opponent were going through the review session when the Chairman stuck in his head.

"Souya. Oi, Souya."

Souya looked up.

"There's a really angry lady waiting for you downstairs."

xXx

.

She was still sitting in the waiting room, taking a long drag of her cigarette even though several employees asked her not to.

"So! Here he is. Can we help you with something?" The Chairman stood by Souya, preemptively.

"It isn't your concern." The woman put out her cigarette and stood.

The Chairman leaned toward him. "Souya, you dummy, what did you do? Do you know her?"

Souya shook his head. The woman stepped close to them.

"Kawamoto Misaki," she said, extending a hand.

"You may not know me. But you do know my niece, which is why I thought it best to actually meet you."

_Oh boy_, the Chairman thought, and he watched as Souya silently followed her.

xXx

.

They sat across from each other in an outdoor cafe, the woman elegantly ordering a tea while Souya sat with his hands on his lap, nervously.

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" Misaki said. "A lot of men see my niece as a good time and a meal ticket. I want to make sure you're not taking advantage of her."

Souya lowered his eyes, then nodded.

"What are your intentions? My niece has been through the wringer. Are you serious, or are you just having fun with her?"

"I love her." The words were quiet. Misaki frowned.

"I assume, then, you've thought about marriage?"

He nodded. Misaki tapped her finger on her saucer.

"You're a shogi player," Misaki said. "Your income is totally reliant on the number of monthly matches you participate in. One losing streak is all it would take to break your bank. How do you intend on providing for her?"

"I-" Souya hesitated. "I have some savings," Souya said.

"I've seen shogi players' savings," Misaki said. "All it takes is one night of booze to throw it away. Do you have a day job? Something that would actually support her?"

"I-" Souya hesitated.

"No," he said. The woman's mouth tightened.

"I see." She closed her purse.

"My niece is a good girl," Misaki said. "Before her mother died, I promised I would take care of her. The last thing she'd want to see is her daughter supporting a pie-in-the-sky shogi player or a deadbeat like her father."

Souya nodded mutely. The woman continued.

"So," The woman asked. "What is it exactly that you see in her?"

He stared at his hands while he spoke, not looking at her.

"She's kind. She's responsible and intelligent. She knows so much more than me. I quit middle school when I was fifteen. The only thing I know is shogi."

Misaki watched him. Any other man would be smart enough to not admit they were uneducated. But he seemed earnest and soft-spoken, and probably a little embarrassed.

Misaki softened.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot," Misaki said. "I'm sorry for being so harsh. I just want to make sure your intentions are good. You seem like a nice man. But you and I both know the shogi profession isn't the most stable.

"Well," Misaki said, rising. "As long as you treat Akari kindly, it will work out in the end. Her father isn't exactly the most reliable figure. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't seeing someone like her dad."

"Ano, Kawamoto-san?"

"Yes?"

"Would it put you more at ease if I showed you my finances?"

Misaki crossed her arms.

"It would."

xXx

.

"Um, Kawamoto-san?"

"Yes?"

Misaki looked up from the bar, where Souya was standing hesitantly.

"I brought you my bank book, like you asked."

She took his bank book and flipped through the pages. Her eyes widened.

"Is your family very wealthy?" she asked. Souya shook his head.

"It's just me and my grandmother. I don't have any other family."

Misaki closed the bank book and sat down on the stool, heavily.

"Misaki-san," one of the girls said, after he left. "Who was that? Was that Akari's boyfriend?"

Misaki's eyes flashed.

"She'd better do everything she can to keep him!" Misaki said.


	12. Pieces, part 2

.

.

The hotel looked the same as the last one: a single bed, a small desk jammed unceremoniously against the corner. Souya set down his bag and sat heavily on the bed, loosening his tie and looking out the window.

The drapes were thick, the light-blocking kind that darkens a room into a simulacrum of night. Souya made sure the curtains were open - he needed morning light to wake him, and there was a chance he'd keep sleeping if the room stayed dark.

He didn't pack much. A small briefcase, a pair of socks and underwear. He was wearing the suit he planned to play in, so he undressed quietly, draping his button-up shirt and pants over the chair.

xXx

.

All his days began to look the same.

A throng of photographers descended on him. Souya smiled uneasily, bowing politely and letting them take his picture. Someone shoved a microphone in his face but he didn't see the man ask the question, so Souya murmured a standard, "Thank you for having me here," pretending to have heard the question.

He escaped into the courtyard. It was cool outside, and there was a slight breeze that rustled against his skin. He walked out and stood beside a fish pond, relishing a chance to collect himself.

But the Chairman found him, and he was yanked back into the hotel lobby.

xXx

.

"Did you see Meijin Souya? That last move was so cool!"

"As expected of our Meijin! He's a shogi demon - a child of god himself!"

At the banquet, Souya hovered uncertainly. There was a sea of faces, lips smacking and chewing, making it difficult to read what they were saying. The Chairman was laughing and Souya fingered his briefcase, secure in knowing he had his socks and underwear packed, that he could escape to the train station when it was all done, unnoticed.

The crowd was starting to thin. He started to leave when he turned and ran into the Chairman.

"Souya!" the Chairman said, and Souya's briefcase spilled open. On the lobby floor were his match papers and his socks, the pair of dirty underwear he had worn the day before.

"Souya you idiot. What is this-" and to Souya's horror the Chairman stooped down to scoop everything up. Another waitress came running. He could read the words on her lips. "May I help you with something?" and pretty soon it was as if the entire hotel staff was rummaging through the contents of his briefcase.

He escaped into the lobby. But no sooner did he turn did another reporter shove a microphone in his face.

"Thank you," he said, but the flashing of the cameras seemed to make the room spin.

xXx

.

The inside of the sweet shop seemed quiet. Wooden floors with small wooden shelves, the sweets were lined up in perfect rows, colorful yet unassuming. There weren't many people there, and for that Souya was grateful.

He was looking at a case of cakes when he noticed the reflection in the glass. Someone was standing in front of him. Looking up, he could see a shopgirl hovering questioningly.

He was too tired to read lips and he didn't feel like talking, so he pulled out his phone and texted. Usually when he did that, the workers ignored him - having to wait for him to text was too much of a hassle, and there were usually other customers - so he was surprised when the girl began writing on a notepad of receipts sitting by the register.

She was pretty. That was the second thing he noticed. Large brown eyes, with soft wisps of hair that curled beneath her haircap, he felt himself staring dumbly as she smiled politely.

He bought a box of cakes. The drugstore he usually went to ran out of glucose packs, and so Souya carefully packed a few Crescent Moon cakes in his bag.

xXx

.

The man at the convenience store didn't know what the hell he was talking about. "Glucose? You mean sugar cubes?"

No, he meant glucose. Sugar cubes were 50% fructose. The man chewed his gum, irritated.

Souya couldn't read his lips when he was chewing gum, so he tapped on his phone. [Could you direct me to the pharmacy section?]

The man talked and pointed. Souya frowned and tilted his head.

[I'm sorry, could you-]

"NEXT," the man said, and a customer pushed past him.

It was easier asking the Chairman.

At the sweet shop, it was different. Even if there were a lot of customers, the sales girl would catch his eye and wave at him. Whenever he stepped up to the register she'd start writing on her notepad - could she help him with anything? Was he interested in trying new sweets - and it was a nice gesture, though that jaded part of himself wondered if she was only being nice to him because he was a good customer.

xXx

.

There were a lot of people in the shop today, but Souya looked around, looking for more red bean cakes. If he was honest with himself, he wanted to see the shop girl too, but he pushed that thought down, focusing on trying to find the least crowded part of the shop, or a viable path through the crowd.

The shopgirl was running in and out of the back room, replenishing stock, running to the registers and taking orders. She saw him being pushed toward the edge of the crowd, and he could see her start to talk to him -

I'm so sorry, the red bean cakes sold out.

Her hands flew to her mouth. A rush of pink filled her cheeks, and she ran over to the register, opening and closing the drawers. The notepad was used up, the receipts torn off for actual customers.

Souya thought maybe he should say something, that it was okay, he could read lips, but it looked like it was probably too loud to talk and he wasn't very good at modulating his voice, since he couldn't hear how loudly he was speaking. He pulled out his phone when he saw the shop girl push up her sleeve. She grabbed a pen and started writing.

Souya blinked. Was she writing on her arm?

She wrote quickly. _I'm so sorry. The red bean cakes-_

"Sold out?"

She looked up, startled. He wanted to thank her for considering him, for going to all those lengths to communicate with him. But all he could do was explain haltingly how he could speak, how it was only later in life that he lost his hearing.

Usually, when people found out he could speak, that got angry with him. Why did he hold back? Why make them jump through all those hoops when he could just talk to them?

But instead, she smiled at him. His gaze focused on her lips, which were pink and soft, and how her mouth turned upwards at the corners.

And then a customer pushed past him, shoving a box of cakes by the register.

xXx

.

He sat in front of a shogi board in the middle of a match. Across from him, Namerikawa-7-dan was throwing a ton of weird plays at him. His mind lurched and skidded, trying to find the thread behind Namerikawa's thought process, but while before he could tease out that silver line of his opponent's thinking, he could only think about the shopgirl, the wisps of hair by her neck, the soft pink mouth that smiled so easily.

"Souya-9-dan. Four minutes remaining."

He lost another match. The crowd erupted, jeering at him.

He escaped to the sweet shop. He opened the door, and she waved brightly at him.

HELLO

Souya stopped. She was signing at him.

Her words were clumsy. Her movements were shaky and unsteady. But she beamed up brightly at him and kept signing.

She was the only one who tried to communicate with him.

xXx

.

The hotel room was dark, the black-out curtains pulled shut. In the corner of the room, he touched himself. It was quick and gritty and afterwards he was overwhelmed with emotions: disgust and shame and loneliness, the knowledge that no one in his life could really know him.

xXx

.

He stood at the foot of the stairs, feeling embarrassed and irritated at the Chairman's hamfisted attempts to help him. Akari stood, guileless and smiling, assuring him that _of course_ he could sleep in her home, they had an extra room and a futon, it wasn't a problem at all.

"I'm sorry," he kept saying, over and over, and she stepped closer in case he couldn't see what she was saying.

"It's okay," she said, and she stepped close. "Just stay over."

Her hair curled in fine wisps along her neck. Her brown eyes flicked upward, meeting his.

The kiss was an accident. He stammered an apology but she grabbed him by the lapel, dragging him closer.

xXx

.

He wanted to be someone reliable for her.

In the convenience store, there were a few pamphlets in the job rack, some posters touting online courses to finish a high school diploma.

He picked up the pamphlet and slipped it into his suitcase, deciding he would read it later.


	13. Match

.

.

"Flannel pajamas?!" Her aunt had a horrified look as she peered into Akari's overnight bag, then pulled out said flannel pajamas, shaking them. They were Akari's favorite - soft and well-worn, she liked how comfy they felt, and when she slept next to Momo, Momo often told her she felt like a big teddy bear.

"Akari!" her aunt said. "This is your first overnight trip! How do you expect to keep a man when you're coming to bed like _this_?"

"Eh? What's wrong with my pajamas?" Akari said.

"Listen here, I told you already! Silk nighties or a T-shirt and cute panties! Not the same pajamas his grandmother probably wears!"

"But auntie, he's seen me wear these before," Akari said, and Misaki slapped her forehead.

Touji's match schedule was a grueling one - when he wasn't traveling back-and-forth to Tokyo for mandatory matches, he was traveling across the country for whatever best-of-sevens he had to take part in to defend his titles. When he wasn't competing, he was going to PR events or spending his time traveling, and when he came to visit her, he was often exhausted, spending the precious little free time he had seeing her instead of resting.

Don't you just want to stay home? Akari signed, when Touji showed up bleary-eyed at her house. He smiled and shook his head.

If I did, I'd never get to see you, he signed, and Akari sighed and shook her head.

It was easier for him to be the one visiting than the other way around - Akari had to take care of Hina and Momo, she had to be home to drop Momo off at preschool, and had scheduled shifts at the shop and the bar. She couldn't just jet off to Kyoto whenever she felt like it, not unless there was extensive planning involved and it happened to fall on a free weekend.

"EH?!" Misaki slapped her hands on the bar and leaned forward, making Akari back up, nervously. "What do you mean, you can't go see him?! Akari! Don't be an idiot! I don't need you here!"

"But...but auntie, I'm scheduled to work, and Momo has preschool, and-"

"Or don't tell me: you're too much of a distraction to travel with him." Misaki sniffed, frowning. "Maybe he's just being too polite to say anything."

"Maybe," Akari said, suddenly feeling unsure. Misaki shook her head.

Misaki abruptly canceled a bunch of shifts at the bar, announcing crisply to the family that on the weekends, Grandpa and Hina would have to fend for themselves, and everyone would take turns watching Momo. ("He's rich. Let her court him," Misaki said, and her grandpa moaned slightly about his daughter being an actual demon.)

Suddenly, Akari had a ton of free time.

Would you like to come with me? Touji signed, after Akari told him her aunt inexplicably canceled all her weekend shifts. I have a match coming up this Saturday and the hotel is very nice to visit.

Really? I'm allowed to do that? Her signing was getting better. Touji nodded.

The challengers often bring their families. Until this point I had no one to invite.

What about your grandmother? Akari signed.

Touji signed back. She doesn't like traveling that far for matches. Akari bit her lip.

I've never been to a hot spring before, Akari signed, then her eyes widened. She remembered her aunt's words.

This wouldn't distract you too much, would it?

Touji smiled and shook his head.

xXx

.

The third match of the Seiryuu Best-of-Seven Championships was held in a fancy hotel connected to a hot spring. Akari craned her neck, staring slack-jawed at the crystal chandeliers and the marble floors, feeling slightly out-of-place with her heavy roller-bag. Wordlessly, Touji picked up her luggage, and Akari blushed and hitched her purse, wondering when someone would see her and scold her for intruding.

"Yo! Souya! You bring your girlfriend?" The Chairman saw them and waved.

"Thank you for having me," Akari said, and she bowed deeply.

"Ah, no problem, no problem! During the match we'll let you sit in the viewing room!" The Chairman pulled out his schedule.

"So first is the greeting from the president - that's me - then the flower presentations, the greetings from the guests. Then we'll have some opening remarks from our sponsors, and then of course, the Q & A session with the players."

The Chairman tapped the remarks, showing her.

"Make sure Souya doesn't say anything too crazy," the Chairman said to her, grinning, and Touji blanched. The Chairman laughed heartily.

"Enjoy yourself! You kids have a couple hours before the ceremony starts!"

xXx

.

"I hate these things," Touji said. Akari looked up, surprised.

No signing?

"Oh. They don't know about my hearing. If I sign I might forget I'm supposed to be speaking."

"Oh," Akari said, and she dropped her hands, hesitantly. "Is it really okay reading my lips? Should we text instead?" and she rummaged for her phone.

Touji touched her hand. Akari looked up. He smiled.

Do you want to see the room?

xXx

.

The pre-match ceremony started. Akari stood in the middle of the crowd, watching as the Chairman gave his opening remarks. The crowds clapped and cheered and erupted when Touji came on stage, and there was a starburst of flashing lights from the photographers, illuminating him.

These events, she knew, were awful for him. Smiling painfully and bowing to his sponsors, he had to use all his concentration to read their lips and answer carefully. The crowds sapped his energy even on a good day, but it seemed horrible to Akari how he'd start all his matches feeling completely drained.

"These are pretty," Akari said, picking up the bouquet. They were in his room again, and she realized she could sign.

Are you okay? she signed. He sat down next to her and leaned into her shoulder, tiredly.

I'm glad you're here. I hate these things.

Akari rubbed his back sympathetically.

He had three alarms, which he set up around the room, and he opened the black-out drapes to the window.

Is this okay? Would you rather keep them closed?

Akari shook her head. Do what you need, she signed, and he smiled shyly.

He had a daylight alarm, which brightened the room as it got closer to wake up. He also had a small strobe-light, one that would flash near his eyes. Last, he set a radio alarm to the loudest setting, explaining that he could feel the buzzing vibrate. It was one of the few things he could control, an almost pre-match ritual, to wake up to various flashing alarms before he had to get ready.

There was a garment bag hanging in the closet. Akari walked closer, examining it.

Is this your kimono? she signed. Touji nodded. There was a small smile on his lips as he watched her open it.

"Wow." Akari looked. She had never seen such exquisite formal wear before. She turned and signed. You have to wear this?

Another nod. She turned again and looked at the fabric. Rubbing it between her fingers, she was struck by how plush and thick it felt.

He was tired from the ceremony, so he went to bed early. Akari lay next to him, and they curled up into each other before falling asleep.

xXx

.

"Yo, Souya!" the Chairman said. "I got these for you."

He handed Souya the bag - more packets of glucose, a few small cakes, and -

Souya blinked.

An economy-sized box of condoms.

"I got lube too," the Chairman said, winking, and Souya quickly shut he bag, tying it off and reddening.

The Chairman laughed. He slapped Souya on the back and waved at Akari.

"Enjoy the match," he said, and he strolled away, laughing heartily.


	14. Morning

.

.

He woke up before his alarms. It was still dark in the room, the sky just beginning to lighten with early morning, and Akari was still asleep beside him.

If he could hear, he would hear the soft rustle of the covers as he moved, and the soft, steady breaths of Akari breathing. Her hair was down, resting in loose curls along her neck and face, and her pajamas bunched and tugged around her, clinging to her body.

Her hair was soft. He turned carefully and brushed a strand of hair back, letting his hand linger a bit on her cheek. She stirred and he pulled back his hand.

Her eyes blinked open. He signed sheepishly at her.

Sorry.

She smiled sleepily, then draped her arms around him, nuzzling him. She felt warm and good lying against him.

They made love quietly, not even bothering to remove all of Akari's pajamas.


	15. Old Trolls

.

.

He was signing rank certificates when Yanagihara and the Chairman cornered him.

"Souya," the Chairman said. "Do you even know how to please a woman?"

Souya's eyes widened. A bright red blush cracked across his face, and he looked away from them, panicked.

"I thought not," the Chairman said, and Yanagihara nodded. "Have you two even been intimate?"

Yanagihara sniffed, "Who are you kidding, Toku-chan, they probably even sleep in separate beds," and the Chairman leaned forward, putting his hands on his hips.

"Oi, Souya," the Chairman said. "I think of you as another son! So listen to your uncles when we talk to you."

Souya mumbled, "That really isn't necess-"

"HAH? Speak up! We're old, we can't hear you!"

"Wha- I'm the one who can't hear!" Souya said, and Yanagihara and the Chairman glanced at each other.

Oh ho. It was rare to see Souya get this worked up. Yanagihara and the Chairman grinned.

"Souya," Yanagihara said. "Don't be embarrassed. Even though you're an herbivore shogi player with absolutely zero experience-"

The Chairman laughed, "Oh my, Saku-chan! I can't believe you said it!"

The two old men laughed, while the one young man burned a hole in the floor.

"But she's cute, isn't she, Saku-chan?" the Chairman grinned. "Too bad this dummy here doesn't know what to do about it!"

"Now, now, Toku-chan, don't be so vulgar, you're scandalizing him."

The old men laughed again, while Souya looked around, and tried to push his way toward the exit.

"Eh?" The old men blocked him. "Calm down, Souya! Don't be mad! We're just happy you finally met someone, we want to make sure you don't blow it!"

Someone loudly cleared their throat. Yanagihara and the Chairman turned.

Kouda was standing there, frowning at them.

"Chairman," Kouda said. He turned. "Yanagihara-san."

"Oh, it's Kouda-kun, being a party pooper again," Yanagihara said. The Chairman shook his head.

"Tch, Kouda-kun. Ruining our fun."


	16. Leave (mature content)

.

.

"_Let's begin with the two players entering the room._

_"At 8:53 AM, the challenger, Kumakura Kengo 9-dan, has entered the room."_

The camera panned to Kumakura-9-dan, who walked in with a deep blue kimono.

_ "And now, at 8:55 AM, Souya Meijin has entered the room."_

The crowd grew silent. The camera panned over to Meijin Souya, who walked in silently with a pensive expression. Quietly he took his seat in front of the shogi board, and a hush fell over the crowd.

The announcer added,_ "The match will begin at 9 AM._"

The cameras flashed, taking photographs of the scene in front of them.

"Wow," someone muttered, and another spectator leaned in.

"Meijin Souya looks so regal, doesn't he?"

"A dignified player for a dignified match, to be sure," another person answered.

In the viewing room, Akari listened, and blushed uncomfortably. Just a few hours earlier, Akari was gasping and jerking hard, with Touji's head pressed down between her legs and his mouth flush against her sex. Blindly, she groped at the short hairs around his neck, straining as he gently kissed and licked her into orgasm, her knees clenching as her body pitched forward, violently.

Akari flushed, remembering. On the monitor, Touji and the challenger bowed solemnly.

"Just so you know, Kawamoto-san, these matches can get pretty long and boring," the Chairman said. "Souya won't be offended if you leave a little early."

"Mm." Akari blushed and tried to push out the memory of his hot breath on her neck, or the sound of his ragged breathing as he moved inside her.

"Oh, Toku-chan, look at that girl," Yanagihara said, as the Chairman sat back next to him. The Chairman nodded.

"She looks so bored already! I feel kind of bad for her."

("What's on Souya Meijin's neck?" an observer asked. "Just by his kimono. It almost looks like a hickey."

"That's not a hickey, moron, that's obviously a bruise or an eczema patch."

_Oh god._ Akari cringed and covered her face with her hands.)


	17. Studying

.

.

"Yo, Souya-kun. What do you want to do today?" Dobashi let himself into the house, taking off his shoes. "I was thinking I'll be black. I'll start with the static rook and you do the bishop exchange once more.

"Hmm?" Dobashi peered over Souya's shoulder.

"High school physics?" Dobashi wrinkled his forehead. "Why are you reading this?"

Souya looked up.

"Oh. Dobashi-kun. I didn't see you there."

"Why are you reading high school physics?" Dobashi asked, sitting across from him. He made sure to face him so Souya could see what he was saying.

Souya flipped a page. "I'm thinking of taking the High School Equivalency Certification."

"Why?" Dobashi said. "We're professional shogi players. You don't need to go to high school for that."

"I was thinking of asking her to marry me once I pass."

Dobashi looked up.

"Are you serious?" Dobashi asked. Souya nodded.

"I want to be someone she can rely on," Souya said. "If something were to happen to me, I have nothing to fall back on if I can't play shogi."

"What? That's crazy. First of all, you could always teach, do a lecture series! Or look at the Chairman! You could do administrative things." Dobashi counted on his fingers. "Besides, how are you going to study? You have to prepare for all those title matches."

"I know." Souya looked back down again.

"Dobashi," Souya said. "If you were a woman, would you want to marry a man with only a middle school education?"

"If he were a Meijin? Hell yeah," Dobashi said.

"I just don't want to be a useless person." Souya looked back at the page. "She deserves better than that."

Dobashi frowned at him. "So does this mean you're not gonna practice with me?" He tapped his finger on the board, pointedly.

Souya closed the book.

"Help me with these physics problems and I'll help you with that static rook."


	18. Implant

.

.

There were different types of medication in his bag. Akari didn't mean to snoop - he had asked her to get him some glucose packets, so she offered to help him look - and when she dumped the contents onto the bed she was surprised at the number of medications he carried.

Touji. What are these for?

She looked at a bottle marked prednisone. Another methotrexate. Touji came and sat down next to her, sifting through his medications.

They're for my condition, he signed.

Do they help? Akari turned over a pill bottle doubtfully. Touji smiled.

It's not for my hearing, he signed. He tapped on his glasses. They're for my eyes.

Akari looked up. _His eyes?_ Touji seemed to know what she was thinking because he kept signing.

What I have is autoimmune. I'm lucky it only affected my hearing, but if I don't take these meds-

You'll go blind?

Touji nodded. Akari gasped softly.

She must have had a worried look on her face, like she was going to burst into tears at any moment, because Touji scooted closer and took her hand, clasping it between his.

It's rare, he signed. Usually I just get eye pain or the light bothers me sometimes. I've had this for ten years and it hasn't gotten any worse. Please don't be worried.

Akari nodded. She wiped the corner of her eye and dropped her head against his shoulder.

xXx

.

He didn't like to talk about his condition. When she first learned he lost his hearing later in life, she went online and read about things that could correct it, hearing aids and cochlear implants. He was still just a customer then, an acquaintance who was edging closer to being friends, and Akari was curious why he didn't get it.

"An implant?" he asked. She didn't know signing very well then, so he spoke for her benefit. "Yes, they did offer me a cochlear implant, but I told them I didn't want it."

_Why?_ she wrote. _Wouldn't it restore your hearing?_

He smiled awkwardly. "They'd have to drill a hole in my skull to put it in," he said. "It's rare but there can be complications. I've already learned to live with it."

At the time, Akari didn't realize how personal a question she was asking him - how horrible it was, losing his hearing and not having a diagnosis. He went back and forth to the doctors between matches, sitting in a cold, sterile room, trying to read their lips as they explained his hearing loss had progressed beyond the point where they could help him.

And she was just an acquaintance then, so he didn't tell her the real reason: that the thought of surgery frightened him. That his livelihood depended on shogi and he wouldn't know what to do if something happened. Doing nothing seemed to be the safer thing, even if the doctors promised good results, insisting that an implant could help him.

xXx

.

She was working in the shop when a woman with a cochlear implant came in: Akari recognized it from the online searches she did, and when the woman paid for her things, Akari asked her, "I know someone who lost their hearing. How was it getting that implant?"

The woman smiled. "I was scared at first, but it really helped," she said. "If you want, I can get you the number of my audiologist?"

"Oh, thank you," Akari said, and the woman opened her purse, sifting for the business card.

That night, she turned the business card in her hand, and had a vague, uneasy feeling. He already told her he didn't want this, but she was going behind his back. It was like she was violating his trust by cheating on him.

She shouldn't have asked for this. She switched off the light quickly and slipped the card into her dresser drawer.

.

.

* * *

Note: I headcanon that what Souya has is Cogan's Syndrome, which is one of the few causes of post-lingual deafness that's characterized by waxing/waning hearing loss and can be exacerbated by stress, as is the case with Souya. It usually presents with sensorineural hearing loss and concomitant iritis, but you can have symptoms of one without the other. Usually the treatment consists of immunosuppressants, but if the symptoms progress, people can benefit from hearing aids or cochlear implants. I headcanon that Souya is scared of surgery, so even though it's minimally invasive, the idea of it still makes him nervous, which is why he never got it.


	19. Implant, part 2

.

.

He came across the business card a few weeks later.

He was looking for a pen when he saw it - nestled between a few miscellaneous papers and various knickknacks, a small business card with a name and title printed on it. Audiologist, it said, and the address was written beneath it.

"Touji?" Akari called his name out of habit, coming up the stairs to look for him. She opened the door to the bedroom and saw him sitting on the bed, staring silently at the business card in his hand.

A punch to the gut. That's what it felt like. Akari stared at Touji and the words came out in rapid succession. Horror at being caught. The guilt and panic of knowing she did something wrong, the knowledge that she was careless with his feelings. The stomach-sick knowing that she purposefully hurt him.

"I'm so sorry," Akari said. The words tumbled out before she could stop it. "A customer had a cochlear implant, and we got to talking and she gave me this. I didn't tell her about you, I just said I knew someone who was deaf. I know you don't like to talk about it, but I went behind your back and got you this, and I know I shouldn't have done it, I shouldn't have tried to hide it from you either! I'm a horrible person and I'm so sorry, Touji! Are you mad?"

Touji tilted his head.

No of course not. Why would I be mad? He held up the business card.

This is the name of my old audiologist. It looks like he changed offices. Also, you were talking kind of fast, I couldn't get much of what you were saying. Is everything okay?

Akari? Touji signed, and he looked at her expectantly. And Akari was so relieved she burst into tears.

(Why are you crying?! Souya ran over to her, where Akari bawled stupidly about going behind his back and basically cheating on him, except asking someone about their audiologist wasn't actually cheating, he was thankful for her considering his feelings but it was just a business card, please stop crying, he wasn't mad.)


	20. Dark Prince of Shogi, part 1

.

.

There were only a handful of players who have beaten Souya before.

Kumakura-9-dan, who was rumored to be a 5th dan judo player and was the challenger in the last five Meijin tournaments.

Tsujii-On-a-Good-Day-9-dan: when he wasn't making stupid puns or gunning to show off at the demo boards, he was actually quite formidable in competition.

Dobashi-9-dan, who knew Souya when they were both in grade school and who apparently recently started training with him.

And now...

"Namerikawa-7-dan, the Dark Prince of Shogi?!" Issa and Smith looked at the poster, horrified.

"He's creepy," the Chairman said. He snapped his fingers. "He lives in a funeral parlor built with his family! When he's not competing he's preparing dead bodies."

"I know...but still..."

The Chairman went into a dancing stance. "He's the only one of you ninnies who's beaten Souya in straight matches! A natural rival for our God of Shogi!"

Whenever Namerikawa gave an interview, he would smile at the audience creepily.

_"In Shogi, there is nothing but life and death,"_ Namerikawa said, and he leaned into the camera, smiling. _"And believe me. I am well-acquainted with death."_

"GYAAAH!" Issa said, and Smith wailed, "He's so friggin' creepy!" while the Chairman seemed to spin with bright lights and dramatic wind accompanying him.

"He's so creepy and off-putting! And Souya is so cute and forgiving! They make a perfect match!"

"But, Chairman...didn't Souya lose because he was sick?" Issa and Smith glanced at each other.

The Chairman waved his hands. "Rumors," the Chairman said. "If anything the idiot was just lovesick."


	21. Dark Prince of Shogi, part 2

.

.

The Chairman knew when Souya was really sick.

He was just twenty-two, a year after winning all seven crowns. He was supposed to take part in the Kishou Best-of-Seven Championships. But the Chairman found Souya in the bathroom, retching into a toilet and barely able to stand up.

"Are you drunk?!" the Chairman said, but Souya gasped that he felt dizzy. The Chairman helped him to his feet, but Souya listed sideways, unable to right himself.

His balance was off, as was his coordination. The doctors called it stress and put him on medications.

Fluid in the middle ear. That's what the doctors thought. He probably got sick and congested, the fluid not draining properly. They gave him anti-histamines and cold remedies, but none of that worked.

He dropped out of the Kishou Championships. Yanagihara subsequently won.

_Ten years._ The Chairman leaned back in his chair, remembering. What the doctors thought was stress turned out to be more sinister. After the vertigo spells, Souya gradually began to lose his hearing. The Chairman carted Souya to different specialists, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

Souya played when he was sick. Flu or other maladies didn't stop him.

The Chairman watched as Issa and Smith gossiped about _what the hell happened to Meijin Souya_, after a record three straight losses, and grimaced slightly as he remembered.

.

.

* * *

Note: Cogan's Syndrome initially presents with vertigo, as the middle ear is affected. The vertigo episodes progress, which leads to hearing loss.


	22. Poster

.

.

"TOKU-CHAN!" Yanagihara ran into the Chairman's office, waving around the poster. "What the hell do you think you're doing to my poster?!"

The poster Yanagihara was referring to was the newest one for the Kishou Championship: Yanagihara in the foreground, looking over a shogi board, while Namerikawa, dressed in black, leered creepily from the shadows behind him. The matches haven't even started yet and already the Chairman was pegging him as the challenger.

"How could you do this?! It's like the Grim Reaper stalking an old man!"

"Great observation!" the Chairman said. He snapped his fingers. "After Namerikawa's upset with Souya, he's gotten an uptick of fans! They call him Dr. Reaper online, did you know that?"

"After the indignity of facing Shimada for my Eternal Kishou title, being told we were too old and not cute enough for the likes of Souya and Kiriyama," Yanagihara muttered. "Toku-chan! I was ready to retire! And this is how you reward me for staying in the game!"

The Chairman laughed, heartily.

Souya was there, turning in paperwork. He was bowing to a few workers before straightening his briefcase. Yanagihara stalked toward him.

"SOUYA. This is your fault!" he said, and he shoved the poster in Souya's face.

Souya blinked. Yanagihara stepped closer.

"Let me write this down so you can understand!" Yanagihara said, and he grabbed a pen from Souya's hand and wrote directly on the poster.

YOUR FAULT. THIS (and he drew an arrow, then circled Namerikawa's face several times for emphasis) IS YOUR FAULT

Souya blinked again. Yanagihara growled and pulled away the poster.


	23. Kishou

.

.

There was the snap of sparkling flashbulbs, a thousand points of sudden light. The Chairman spun around, smiling wide and soaking it in. Interviewers called out questions which the Chairman fielded easily.

A moment passed. Where the hell was Souya?

xXx

.

The Chairman was used to wrangling Souya, who often disappeared during the mingling sessions with the interviewers. He just needed to find the one secluded corner the others had overlooked, or the one patch of hidden gardens far from the hotel.

"Tch, Souya!" the Chairman said. He found Souya standing alone looking at the koi fish again. "If you're gonna go hide, at least have the decency to go somewhere I can't find you."

Souya had a blank look on his face, but nodded.

He tried his best to intercept on Souya's behalf whenever an interviewer threw him a question:

"Souya Meijin! You've been competing so much, how are you holding up?"

"Eh, he's fine!" the Chairman said, taking the microphone and grinning. "The matches makes him stronger! Wait 'til you see how he performs in the next match!"

"Souya Meijin! What do you think of the challenger?"

"It's his first time playing him, so Souya's prepared to do his best!"

Easy peasy. The Chairman swatted away the questions easily.

"Souya," the Chairman said. "We're giving you a more angelic look. Think, 'god of shogi,' but more mysterious, yeah? So the suits you'll wear should be a lighter color. And don't bring the dark kimono, bring the lighter one."

Souya didn't say anything as the Chairman brushed down his suit, dusting him off and spinning him around. "That photoshoot didn't suit you," the Chairman said. "Who thought it was a good idea to stick you in a purple kimono?! It's muted colors, Souya," the Chairman said. "Silvers and pale grays for you."

xXx

.

The Chairman hovered. The other players tsked softly and shook their heads. _Look at the Chairman_, they whispered amongst themselves. He treated Souya like a wayward child.

They didn't know, of course: the dizzy spells could happen at any moment. One minute, Souya would be fine, standing there like a bump on a log, shuffled from one stage to another; the next, he could be staggering sideways, his equilibrium suddenly cut off at the knees, as if the whole floor were swaying.

It was part of his illness, one that the Chairman managed in secret. "If you're feeling like you're gonna puke, you gotta tell me," he told Souya once. And Souya promised he'd let him know.

xXx

.

When Souya dropped out of the Kishou Championships, the Chairman chalked it up to the stomach flu.

"Poor boy is pukin' his brains out," the Chairman said, knowing what he was saying wasn't off-the-record, but acting like he thought it was, letting the reporters take his words and filtering it through the professional lens of the press. The headlines afterward were breathless:

_Meijin Souya sick with the flu, forced to drop out._

xXx

.

"Souya," the Chairman said. "Have you ever thought about getting back the Kishou title?"

Souya tilted his head.

"I know, I know, it overlaps too much with the Meijin Championships." The Chairman waved his hand. "But you know, Souya, Yanagihara already got his Eternal Kishou. Namerikawa is gunning to take it. Wouldn't it be an interesting upset? If you were to show up and challenge him?"

Souya gave him a look. The Chairman frowned.

"I know what you're thinking - I just want you to face off Namerikawa in the semi-finals to drum up more business!"

Souya frowned at him. The Chairman clapped, delighted.

"And you are exactly right!" the Chairman said. "Think of it, Souya: Best of Three, the semi-finals toward the Kishou Championship! Namerikawa, the Dark Prince of Shogi, a literal shinigami versus the Child of God in our land, Souya Touji!" He counted on his fingers.

"And once you face Yanagihara, hoo boy. That will be amazing! Meijin Souya, in a comeback ten years in the making, taking a title back that he had to abandon all those years ago!"

Souya's eyes narrowed. The Chairman clapped him on the shoulder.

"Think about it," the Chairman said. He grinned, and leaned forward.

"You want to get a pretty ring for that Kawamoto girl, right?"

Souya's eyes widened.

The Chairman laughed. Souya really was a dull man.


	24. Grandmother

.

.

There was a market within walking distance of Touji's home, and so Akari stopped by after arriving at the Kyoto train station, buying a few bags of groceries to cook for him.

Daikon radish, a package of pork ribs. Carrots and a few pieces of ginger.

She rang the doorbell. Inside, she could see the lights flashing brightly beneath the crack of the sliding door, and she heard the shuffling of feet walking toward her.

The door opened. His grandmother smiled.

Ah, Akari-chan. You brought groceries.

Akari smiled, holding them up. I thought I'd cook for you and Touji, grandmother.

His grandmother waved her hand.

You're holding so much, it's okay to speak. I can read lips better than Touji can.

"Oh, thank you, grandmother," Akari said, and she slipped off her shoes, stepping inside.

Touji was asleep. He had gotten sick after his last bout of matches. No one noticed - even when they broadcast the tournament, no one commented on how pale Touji looked, or how his hand shook a little as he moved the pieces. He played and he won uncharacteristically quickly, playing more aggressively than his challenger had expected.

Akari texted him after watching the match.

[You looked terrible! Are you sick?!]

And Touji texted back, [Was it that obvious?]

She yelled at him through text to go home and get some rest, she was coming over to see him in the morning.

She started peeling the radish for the soup, his grandmother watching serenely. You will make a very good wife, his grandmother signed, and Akari smiled, happily.

"I get a lot of practice cooking for my sisters," Akari said, peeling the radish. His grandmother nodded.

Touji told me. You are a very responsible young lady.

The radish was peeled. Akari took a knife and started cutting, when his grandmother touched her on the arm.

Not like that, the grandmother signed, and she took Akari's knife. Like this. Let me show you.

Instead of slicing vertically, his grandmother started slicing in triangular pieces, turning the radish over as she worked.

This way they'll cook evenly, the grandmother signed. Akari nodded, watching.

She was born deaf, although the Chairman told everybody else she was just hard of hearing. The man is an idiot, the grandmother signed, frowning. Always pushing poor Touji. Never giving him any breaks.

Akari folded her hands in her lap and watched as the grandmother told her the story.

Touji didn't always used to live in Kyoto. He used to live in Tokyo where all the other shogi players lived, in a small apartment near Shogi Hall. His grandmother's hands formed the words strongly, surely. Touji got very sick when he was in his twenties, she worried about him. He used to get dizzy spells. She was worried he would fall.

The Chairman was against Touji moving in with her. The grandmother's forehead creased. He said he would take care of him.

But he didn't have her Touji's best interests at heart. He wanted to work him hard because he was their star player. His grandmother wanted him to quit but the Chairman convinced him not to.

_"My grandmother worries about me,"_ Touji told her once. They were still acquaintances then, walking along the river with Akari texting and Touji speaking. _"She doesn't understand shogi is my livelihood. It's the only thing I have going for me."_

Now he was asleep in his room, the covers drawn tightly around him. Akari knelt and brushed back a few strands of hair from his forehead.

He worked himself to death you know, his grandmother signed. She stood at the doorway, frowning. Studying for those shogi matches and then worrying about that high school examination. I told him he should rest.

"High school examination?" Akari turned.

His grandmother nodded. She walked over to a stack of books resting neatly on his desk.

He's a smart boy, I told him he could pass without studying. But he's the type to underestimate himself.

Akari touched the binder, then quietly put it back on the shelf.


	25. Tea Cakes

.

.

The crowning glory of Kawamoto Someji's long life was seeing his crescent moon cakes sitting on Meijin Souya's snack tray.

It snuck up on him during a broadcast: they were showing snack time again, Kumakura-9-dan wolfing down four pieces of cake, when they panned over to Meijin Souya's tray. He had a pot of tea and a few sugar cubes, but what was different was the snack cakes.

Everybody knew Meijin Souya didn't eat during matches. Someji's eyes widened.

"Girls!" Someji said. He jumped up and fistpumped.

"What is it, Grandpa?"

"Crescent Moon cakes are gonna be on the map!"

"Eh?" The girls weren't really that interested.

As expected, their red bean cakes started selling out. Shogi fans went on internet forums to gossip about _what was up with those moon cakes_ on Meijin Souya's tray, _he never eats on TV, and yet he was eating that cake!_

xXx

.

Different desserts started showing up on different matches.

Someji's green tea cakes; sweet potato mochi. Even the hard candies Someji made on a whim.

"Does anybody know when Meijin Souya goes to the shop?" It was hard to believe, but as much as Someji worked there, he had never seen him.

Akari was sitting at the table, her laptop out and watching a sign language video.

"Akari. What are you doing?" Someji asked. Akari looked up and smiled.

"Oh, Grandpa! I'm learning sign language. We have a regular customer who's deaf."

"Eh?" Someji peered over the video. The woman was demonstrating how to ask simple questions.

She seemed really interested in it. Someji shrugged to himself. The girl needed a hobby - she spent her time cooking and cleaning and tending to Momo, and usually when she watched videos, it was things that were sewing or cooking-related. It was nice to see her doing something else.

A few days later, Akari walked into the back of the shop, beaming.

"Eh?" Someji peered over the strawberry jam he was cooking. "Did you sign with him?"

"Yes, Grandpa, I did! And he seemed really happy." She was beaming, brightly. Someji lowered his spoon.

"Akari, you don't have feelings for this man, do you?"

"What- oh no, Grandpa! He's just a good customer! But I do think we could be friends." She suddenly seemed very shy.

"He just seems so lonely," Akari said. "He has no one else he can talk to."

"That deaf man doesn't have any deaf friends?"

Akari shook her head. "He has to read lips and pretend he can hear them," Akari said. "No one knows he's deaf at his work."

"Hmm." Someji returned to the jam. "There is a lot of discrimination," Someji mused, stirring. "It must be nice, visiting a shop and seeing a cute girl take such interest in him."

Someji's eyes flicked upward.

"Akari. Be careful. You don't know this young man. You think you're doing a good deed but you might be getting too personal with him." Akari nodded.

"I know, Grandpa. I won't."

xXx

.

"It's very nice to meet you. My name is Souya Touji," Souya said, and he bowed deeply.

Someji kept staring. There he was, in the flesh, the God of Shogi himself, standing at Someji's doorstep.

The kid was hiding. Someji turned around and saw Rei ducking behind the wall.

"Oi, stand up, you're scaring the kid," Someji said, and Souya hesitantly stood.

Someji grinned at him. "Well don't just stand there! Come on in!"

"H-hai." And the God of Shogi hurriedly followed him.


	26. That night (explicit)

.

.

This is what happened the night the Chairman dropped Souya off at Akari's door.

"Missy, you're a lifesaver!" the Chairman said, as Akari came out to greet them. "Take care of my Souya! The idiot is so absentminded he'd lose his head if it weren't attached to him!"

Souya didn't look at her as she smiled and waved at the Chairman. He felt the vibration of the door closing, and the car starting to drive away.

"I'm sorry," he started, and Akari shook her head.

"Don't be," she said, and she signed at the same time. "We have a guest room you could use."

He gave her a small smile. "It's 'guest room,'" he said, showing her the signs. "And thank you. I'm sorry for imposing on you."

"Please don't apologize! I was the reason why you missed the train."

She motioned for him to follow her upstairs.

"Akari-san?"

She turned. The porch light caught her face, framing her body like a portrait.

"Thank you, again. For helping me, I mean. You've always done so much to help me."

"No no, it's not a problem! I'm the one who talked your ear off, and-" her hands flew to her mouth.

"Sorry," she said, cringing. Or at least Souya thought she said, but she was covering her mouth with her hands in her embarrassment.

Souya smiled. "It's okay," Souya said. "Could you move your hands? I can't see what you're saying..."

"O-oh! Sorry..." she dropped her hands, reddening.

"Was I talking too fast?" she signed and spoke at the same time.

Souya smiled, shaking his head. "If you come into the light I can see your lips," he said.

"Should I come closer then?" she took a step down the stairs.

She had already washed; her hair was damp, hanging loosely over her shoulders, and the flannel pajamas she was wearing stretched over the soft curves of her body. He could see the soft hollows of her throat and the barest hint of her breasts just beneath the buttons.

"We have a spare room and a futon. The shower is upstairs too, so you can use it. Momo is already asleep and Grandpa and Hina aren't here, so you won't be bothering anyone."

She was signing but he was staring at her mouth, the soft roundness of her lips as she spoke. "Can you see?" she asked, and she stepped closer. "Should we use a phone?"

"I-" his throat was dry. She stepped closer, tilting her head upwards so he could see her lips.

He shook his head, getting a hold of himself. "It's fine," he said. "Thank you again."

"No problem." She smiled, then reached up to brush a lock of hair that had fallen over his glasses. Her fingertips softly brushed against his forehead.

Her eyes caught his, and for a moment she seemed caught in a small panic - _I was touching him again! Why did I do that_ \- and before she could apologize Souya stepped forward and kissed her gently.

He felt her hand drop against his chest. She lowered her head as they broke away.

"S-sorry-" he began, but Akari reached up to kiss him again.

She stepped close, so that she was flush against his body. He could feel the softness of her breasts crushed against his shirt.

"A-ano. The shower is upstairs..."

Souya blinked. Akari was blushing but she was speaking clearly for his benefit. Souya nodded, mutely.

He followed her to the guestroom. The room was dark, but there was a thin trickle of moonlight leaking from the half-open blinds of the window.

She turned to face him, and in the moonlight he could make out the silhouette of her body. She stepped close again, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him. It was softer and deeper now, her tongue gently slipping inside to caress his, and carefully she took his hand and placed it over her breast; he could feel her nipple harden beneath the flannel fabric. He took a step back, blushing and suddenly aroused.

"Akari-san." He had to stop this, get a measure of control. "I thought you said you didn't want this?"

She swallowed a breath, blushing and nodding. "I don't know what I want," she said. Hers eyes flicked upward. "I think I want this."

"What about your father," he began, but she kissed him again, this time pressing her body against his hardness, grinding against him.

"Akari-san." This was getting too far, he had to stop her. "Akari-san, wait-"

They broke away again. She pressed her forehead against his forehead.

"What must you think of me?" she said, more to herself than him. "I'm such a contrary, fickle woman..."

"I don't think that at all," he said. Their faces were close. Her eyes fluttered close. "I don't know what to do. I've never done this before."

"What do you mean?" Akari asked. Her eyes opened, meeting his.

"I've never been with anyone before."

"This was your first kiss?" Akari asked, and Souya nodded. She smiled shyly.

"Really?" she said again, and she beamed at him. Souya ducked his head.

"I want to do right by you," he said. "Earlier you told me you didn't want to be in a relationship. I care about you. I don't want to do anything that would hurt you."

Her hands rested on his waist. "Did you know, Touji? I always had a little bit of a crush on you."

"Really?" Now it was his turn to be surprised. Akari nodded, wrapping her arms around him shyly.

"I thought that you were handsome."

Souya swallowed, blushing. "I think we need to text, because I'm not sure I saw what you said."

Akari laughed. Her head dropped against his chest as she giggled fondly. She slipped her hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone.

She turned slightly away from him as she texted, and Souya leaned over her shoulder, reading. She glanced up at him and smiled shyly.

[The shower is across the hallway]

Eh? Souya looked at her, reddening. She blushed and stared at his phone, texting.

[We can pick up where we left off after]

She stood quickly, then started rummaging for clothes.

[These are Rei-kun's] she handed him a folded shirt and pants. [He won't mind if you borrow them. They're large on him, so they should fit you.]

"Thank you." He took the clothes from her, blushing.

He escaped into the bathroom. He felt suddenly embarrassed by everything - he was fairly sure things would go back to normal after the shower.

He showered, then dressed quickly. Switching off the light, he walked back to the guest room, where he was surprised Akari was still waiting.

She saw him and stood up, smiling.

She crossed the room and kissed him, smiling. He felt himself harden as she pressed against him.

They broke away for a moment, Akari guiding Souya's hands to her shirt. The flannel fabric was warm and soft, and he could feel the softness of her breasts beneath her shirt. Blushing, he began to undo the buttons, one after the other, until the shirt gave way to soft, pink nipples, something until now he had only imagined.

Blushing, he knelt down and pressed his mouth against her nipple, kissing it softly. He felt her hand gently rest on his head, her fingers curling into his scalp as he kissed and licked her breasts, his thumb rolling the tip of her other nipple. He felt so hard it hurt, blushing stupidly and feeling as if he could burst at any moment. Her hand grazed the front of his erection and he let out a strangled gasp, involuntarily pushing upward against her hand.

Akari giggled. They lay back on the futon, where Akari had rolled onto her side and began tugging down his pants. He pulled off his shirt, but his glasses caught the material, and he fumbled. She reached up to help him untangle himself. The embarrassment would have made him wilt except she reached up and kissed him again, and his eyes widened to feel a soft warmth against his body. She had taken off her pants without him noticing, and she was rubbing herself against his erection.

Her body quivered. She kissed him and he felt her straining against him. Did she touch herself like this? When everyone was sleeping, and she was alone in her room? Panting, he opened his eyes and slid his hand between their bodies, working his finger until the pad of his fingertip gently see-sawed against her clit.

She gasped, and they repositioned themselves, her on her back and him on his side, his fingers gently stroking over her nub. She squirmed and gasped, then grabbed his hand, pressing his wrist firmly, showing him how to touch her.

He wished he could hear. Her mouth was slack and open; her face was red, moving from side to side. He could see the hair sticking to the sweat of her skin, and how her breasts moved up and down as she panted helplessly. He wished he could hear what she sounded like - the soft, desperate sounds she was probably making, the choked-off moans and ragged breathing.

She twitched, and he bent down, closing his mouth over her clit and sucking slightly.

Her body squirmed. He reached up to hold her hip in place, and he felt her press her pelvis more firmly against his mouth, the muscles in her stomach and thighs tensing. Her hands fluttered, then rested on his head. Lifting his eyes, he saw her head thrown back, a blush cracking across her face and her lips parted in a helpless 'o.'

Her body snapped forward. Once, twice, three times, in succession, and then again, jerking in a staccato rhythm. Her breasts bounced with each contraction, and then she fell back onto the futon, shaking and jerking, slightly.

He felt her hands flutter against his shoulder. _Too much. Too much_. Her mouth opened the words. _Too much stimulation_...

"Oh! Sorry." Souya sat up. Akari beamed up at him, sweaty and happy.

She opened her arms, let him settle between her legs. He wasn't sure how to put himself in, so she wrapped her hand around his length and guided him. He slid up inside her with one smooth stroke, and the sensation alone almost made him come.

His hips snapped forward on instinct, and he wove his arms around her, thrusting with a steady rhythm. She felt so good, so warm and soft and better than anything he'd ever felt before. Burrowing his face against her neck, he felt her arms gripping him as he kept thrusting. He stroked harder and deeper, the pleasure building, crowding more and more until he gasped and came, exhaling raggedly and pulsing hard inside her.

His heartbeat, which had been pounding in his chest, slowed, and with it came the realization that he hadn't once looked at her face. What if she said something? What if she wanted him to stop?

He was about to apologize for his carelessness when he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder.

She was beaming at him. "I can't believe we did that," she said, smiling. Her eyes were soft and all the doubts he had melted away. He laughed softly and dropped his head against her chest, happily.

They got up and cleaned themselves, then lay back down on the futon. He felt tired and happy, and he couldn't stop smiling as she fitted herself against his body. She smiled and kissed him, her mouth curving into a smile, before tucking her head against his shoulder.


	27. Reactions

.

.

"Married?!"

Rei sat up.

"Wait, wait, wait, if Akari-san and Souya-san get married, that means..."

Rei's eyes widened.

"That means Souya-san and I will be brothers-in-law!"

Rei's face turned red just imagining.

He remembered how Akari told him: _"We just talked about it," _she said. She was cooking, humming a little and smiling at him. _"Eventually we'll get married, but right now he wants to pass his certification exam first."_

"Certification exam?" Shigeta said, while Rei was practically passed out on the cushion from the shock of it all. "What type of certification exam?"

"I don't know. It's probably so he can do stuff like the Chairman." Rei mumbled from a pillow. Nikaidou ran over.

"Congratulations, Kiriyama!" Nikaidou said. He slapped Rei on the back. "You and Souya-san will be like me and Anija!"

"Now, now, Bou," Shimada said. His ears were red. He was smiling a little too tightly.

"I never thought Souya-san had it in him," Shimada said. "Even though I said I'd 100% dedicate myself to shogi, that I didn't have time for women..."

"That's right, Anija!" Nikaidou said, and he pumped a fist. Shimada deflated.

"Even though Akari-san is dating someone the same age as me, he's cuter and younger-looking and definitely more successful than me-"

"Yes, yes, Ani-WAIT!" Nikaidou said, while Shigeta glared and Rei slapped his forehead. "Anija! I think you're very good-looking! You can get whatever woman you want, Anija!"

"Hmph." Shigeta crossed his arms. "The guys in B2 class are pissed at him. It's not enough to be a shogi god, he had to go and pinch their lady Akari."

Rei immediately had a picture of Issa clutching a bouquet of flowers, wailing inconsolably.

"But wait a second, Kiriyama," Shigeta said, glaring. "You're still on about getting married? Don't you need to be dating the girl, first?"

"Ah well..." Rei didn't look at him. "I'm still working on that."

"Tch."

"Don't worry, Anija!" Nikaidou said. "On my family name of Nikaidou, we'll find someone for you to marry!"

"Bou, please don't."


	28. Reactions, part 2

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.

"Did you hear, Sensei? Akari-san and Souya Meijin are getting married."

Shimada watched as Hayashida leaned back, the news slowly sinking in.

They were catching up over drinks. The bar they went to was nearly empty - except for the soft clink of glasses and the low murmur of the other patrons, it was quiet. Shimada poured Hayashida a drink and Hayashida tossed it back quickly.

"Good for her," Hayashida said. His hands took the shape of the glass. Shimada leaned forward.

"But you liked her, right, Sensei? Are you sure?"

Hayashida waved his hand. "I never threw my hat in the ring, anyway. You can't compete if you don't actually play."

Shimada nodded. They took another drink.

"Ne, Shimada-8-dan," Hayashida said. "How's Kiriyama taking it? His idol marrying into that family?"

"Oh, Kiriyama? I think he's excited."

"I'm glad for him," Hayashida said. He studied his drink.

"That boy needs all the guidance he can get."


	29. Sensei

.

.

One day, Meijin Souya showed up at Rei's school.

"HAH- Wha- HUH?!"

Hayashida did a spit-take. Meijin Souya was wandering around the school, looking like he stepped out of the pages of Shogi Magazine. Meijin Souya smiled hesitantly.

"I'm looking for the registrar's office," Souya said. He held up an envelope. "I'm here to pay a student's tuition?"

"Eh?" Hayashida took the envelope. "Ah, for Kawamoto Hinata. Come this way, I'll show you."

Surreal. The whole thing felt surreal. Meijin Souya followed Hayashida like a curious ghost, bowing politely at the registrar and the secretary, who asked him twice if he was sure he wanted to pay off an entire year. "Only the first semester is due," the secretary said, but Meijin Souya smiled.

"That's quite okay, I can pay it off in full."

_Oh. So this is the man Akari-san is marrying._ Hayashida watched as Souya paid, then signed the receipt, smiling politely.

"A-ano-" Hayashida stuttered. "Kiriyama-6-dan is in shogi club right now! I'm the advisor! You should stop by and see him!"

Souya blinked. "Shogi Club?" Hayashida stuck out his hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't formally introduce myself - I'm Hayashida Takashi, Kiriyama Rei's former homeroom teacher."

"Ah." Souya smiled, and his eyes creased into two crescent moons. "My fiancée told me about you."

_Oh my god Souya Meijin is so cute_. Hayashida sparkled.

"Oh! Souya Meijin! Come to the club! Kiriyama is leading a review session, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

xXx

.

In the classroom, Souya Meijin's eyes widened.

"Nice to meet you, Souya Meijin! I'm the Principal!"

"And so good to meet you, Souya Meijin, I'm the Vice Principal!"

"I'm the Head Teacher, Souya Meijin! Thank you for visiting!"

Rei laughed awkwardly. Souya Meijin tilted his head.

"No students?" Souya said. "This is more like a shogi class, no?"

The principal chuckled heartily. "As principal of this school, we can bend certain rules!" he said. Souya wandered over to the chalk board.

"Hmm. It's good the Association doesn't know about this. Kiriyama-6-dan would be owed compensation as a professional."

_ERK._ All three men froze like statues. Rei looked at Souya. _Thank you, Souya-san!_

"Souya Meijin!" Hayashida said. He pointed at the computer. "This guy's pissing me off! Help me kick his ass!"

Rei protested, "_Sensei_. I told you, there's no good from cheat-"

Souya tapped at the computer screen. "Move your rook here," Souya said, and Hayashida hooted.

"Ha ha! Souya Meijin! Is that douchebag checkmated?!"

"At the twenty-third move, yes." Souya and Hayashida looked at the screen. The opponent moved. "Er, if he made all the best moves. It looks like you mated him already."

"Woo-hoo!" Hayashida high-fived him. "Kiriyama never helps me because he says there's no good from cheating." Hayashida made a face at him.

They walked back to Akari's house, Rei leading slightly while Souya followed him.

"Ano. Souya-san?"

Rei turned. Souya stopped and tilted his head, expectantly.

"Thank you for today," Rei said. He hitched his bag. "That was a lot of fun."

Souya smiled at him.

xXx

.

At his apartment, Hayashida texted Shimada.

[He's so coooool!] Hayashida texted, and across town, Shimada glanced at his phone and shook his head.

[Don't tell me you've got a man crush on him]

[Just a little bit!] Hayashida texted. [Gotta say, I'm a bit jealous of Akari-san!]

[Sensei. You're crazy]

[Don't be jealous, Shimada-8-dan. You're still number one with Sensei]

And Shimada smiled, shaking his head, quietly putting back his phone.


	30. Drinks

.

.

"HAH?! What do you mean no one's throwing you a bachelor party?!"

Shimada leaned back, amused at the sight of Souya being subjected to Sensei's aggressive enthusiasm. "Sensei, I don't think Souya-san is interested in that," Shimada said, but Hayashida slapped his hands on the table, leaning forward.

"Interested? What do you mean, interested?! This is what happens when you don't have any friends!"

_Ouch. Too blunt, Sensei._ Shimada looked at Souya sympathetically.

"Ano, Sensei, actually Souya-san is good friends with Dobashi-9-dan..."

"SO WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM?! Why isn't he planning a bachelor party?! Aren't they supposed to be friends?!"

Souya looked at both of them, and tilted his head questioningly.

They invited Souya out for drinks, mostly because Hayashida kept talking about him and Shimada thought they might as well get it over with and invite him. "What? Really?!" Hayashida said, and there were hearts in his eyes, Hayashida sparkling brightly. "You think we can invite Souya-san for drinks?"

"Sensei, your man crush is showing," Shimada said, frowning. "And what the hell? I thought you said you liked me, first!"

They went to the bar, where Souya promptly got carded. "He's the same age as us," Hayashida said, and Shimada nodded.

"Annoying, isn't it? He looks like he's twenty, his skin is so soft and shiny..."

"Ha ha, that's right, Shimada-8-dan, he looks younger than Akari!"

Now Sensei was giving Souya an interrogation, asking what the hell Dobashi-9-dan intended to do now that Souya was getting married.

"Ano," Souya said. "I haven't actually asked her yet."

"Eh?" Hayashida and Shimada blinked. Souya looked at his drink.

"Ne, Souya," Hayashida said. "This wouldn't by any chance be an engagement that's only in your head, right? Because Kiriyama did the same thing, except he and the girl he likes aren't even dating."

Souya shook his head. "We talked about it," Souya said, "but I wanted to ask her after I pass my high school certification."

A pause. Souya's eyes widened. His face turned a deep, dark red. He wasn't supposed to tell them that. Hayashida and Shimada leaned forward.

"EH?! High school certification?!"

"I'm a high school teacher! I could totally help you with that!"

Souya looked at his hands.

"I was confident I could pass," Souya said. His hands gripped the glass. "But with my match schedule, I'm not sure I can."

"But Souya-san, isn't it easy, though?" Shimada said. "Someone like you should easily pass." Souya shook his head.

"Science and mathematics are fine, but right now I'm struggling with Japanese literature." He stared at his hands. "There is a list of over a hundred books I need to read. But with the tournaments and PR events, it makes reading all of them impossible."

"Japanese literature, huh?" Hayashida leaned back, stroking his beard. "You're in luck, Souya-san. I actually majored in Japanese literature. I can give you all the core points that will likely be covered in the test."

"Would that even work, though?" Shimada said. Hayashida waved his hand.

"Half the books I didn't even read - I just bullshit the essays and memorized the cliff notes the day before!"


	31. Signing

.

.

This is how he asked her.

Akari was sitting at the table, going over their expenses. Hina's bill for school came in, and with fewer shifts at the bar, Akari wasn't sure how they could afford it.

What's wrong? Touji signed, and Akari sighed, showing him their bills.

Hina's school tuition is due. We can pay it, but the next few months will be a little rough.

Akari put her head in her hands. She didn't want to ask her grandpa - with the rising cost of tapioca flour, coupled with fewer sales, they barely made enough to cover the overhead. They would have to dip into the food budget. Akari signed, miserably.

We can't even buy milk unless it's on sale for 158 yen!

Touji picked up the bill, studying it. I can pay for this, he signed.

What? I couldn't ask that of you, don't be ridiculous.

But it's not much, it's what I make at the end of a tournament.

You mean the semester's bill? Akari signed, and she took the paper back. Touji shook his head.

No. I can pay for her full year's tuition.

Akari's eyes widened.

I couldn't ask you to do that, Akari signed. It's my family. It's not your responsibility.

Touji's face was red. He signed, quickly.

But when we're married, your family will be my family. And it'll be my responsibility.

_When we're married._ Akari's eyes widened.

Touji backtracked. I mean, if we're married - I want us to be married - I mean, I want to get married, but only if you'll have me...

Akari's face brightened. She threw her arms around him.

He didn't actually ask.


	32. Chairman

.

.

"Oh, Chairman, look."

The Chairman glanced up. The sponsor leaned over.

"Souya brought his girlfriend again."

The sponsor pointed. The Chairman looked.

Indeed he did. The Chairman grinned, watching them. The ballroom was filled with newspaper reporters and sponsors, as well as other shogi professionals and their fans. It was a bigger crowd than usual, but Souya seemed to chat easily with everyone - with that girl on his arm, he wasn't disappearing to some random park or hiding behind various shrubbery. The Chairman nodded, approvingly.

And wow if that girl didn't know how to dress! Souya wore the same dull gray suit he always did - the Chairman yelled at him when he wore dark ones, lighter suits fit better with his image - but the girl on his arm was wearing a low-cut black dress that perfectly showed off her figure. "I heard this was a black-tie event," she said earlier, smiling. The Chairman whistled, impressed.

"Wow, Chairman, the girl is a stunner, isn't she? She's been a regular at all the pre-match events."

"Any truth that the Association hired her? I heard she's a club hostess."

"The Association wouldn't do anything so scandalous," the Chairman said. "In any case, that girl is head over heels in love with Souya. Look at how she's acting with him," and he pointed at them with his drink. The sponsors looked. The girl was holding his arm, and every so often she would laugh softly and lean against him. Souya looked happy. They nodded approvingly.

The Chairman wandered over. He should probably be on the lookout, just in case Souya got into any trouble. A newspaper reporter was chatting with him. If he screwed up, even the most diligent of girlfriends might not be able to help him.

"Meijin Souya! What do you think of your rivalry with Namerikawa-7-dan? I heard he's gunning to face you in the Meijin Championships."

"If he becomes my challenger, I'll be happy to face him," Souya said.

"So far in your career, he is the only one to have won in straight matches, almost ending in an upset! Are you nervous at all about the proposition of facing him?"

Souya blinked. Crap. The question was too long and the man was mumbling. The Chairman started to step in when he saw it:

The girlfriend had shifted so she was standing next to the interviewer, and she was signing subtly. Souya nodded.

"_Hai._ Namerikawa-7-dan is a formidable opponent. I know he's doing the best-of-threes against Kumakura-9-dan. I look forward to facing whoever wins it."

The girlfriend beamed at him. Souya looked relieved.

"Souya Meijin!" someone shouted. Souya didn't notice, but the girlfriend tapped him, nudging him in the man's direction.

"Missy, you're a godsend," the Chairman said to her, while Souya was being interviewed. The girl smiled, bashfully.

"I'm just happy to help. I never know what to do at these things," she said.

"Well! Thanks to you, I don't have to go hunt down Souya anymore. It used to be he'd disappear and I'd find him hiding in the shrubbery."

The girl giggled. She seemed so innocent. Like a beautiful angel.

...A beautiful angel who somehow got snagged up with _Souya,_ who was standing there like a bump on a log, a blank look on his face and not saying anything. The Chairman shook his head.

A sponsor started talking to her - could he ask her some questions? everyone was curious about her! - and after she was distracted the Chairman leaned toward Souya.

"You better be doing everything you can to keep her," the Chairman said. "That woman right there is a godsend. She somehow makes you look not as awkward."

They found each other again, Souya standing by the girl while she chatted with the interviewers. The Chairman's face darkened.

If they broke up, it would be devastating to him. The Chairman worried about it. "What will we do if she leaves him?"

Yanagihara shook his head. "We pick up the pieces," Yanagihara said. "At the very least, Souya is a shogi monster when he's depressed."


	33. Chairman, part 2

.

.

"Oh my god, look at this room! It's so big - I think it's bigger than our entire first floor!"

Akari spun around, craning her neck upwards. It wasn't so much a room as it was an entire floor, with a seating area and a kitchenette and even a separate bedroom.

Souya smiled. He pulled their luggage to the side, then unhooked his garment bag, laying it flat over the couch so he could take out his kimono.

Souya never paid much attention to the hotel rooms before - usually he'd find a corner to hole up in, preferring to go over last minute notes and potential list of questions. The rooms were too big to feel comfortable in, and while the Chairman and the sponsors gleefully used the hot tubs and ate the food, Souya hunkered down in his room, mentally preparing for the match the next day.

With Akari, it was different, though, and with each different hotel she had the same delighted expression.

Touji! Feel the carpet!

Souya saw her waving to catch his attention, and turned to look at her.

She was lying sprawled out on the floor, her arms and legs sea-starred out, like she was making snow angels. Souya let out a short laugh. She looked ridiculous. He signed at her, what are you doing?

She signed at him from the floor. It's so soft! I never felt such soft carpet before!

Souya bit back a laugh, pushing his fist to his mouth.

Wait, Touji - are you laughing at me?!

Souya shook his head, laughing harder.

Akari screwed her face, then yanked him down.

Souya stumbled. Akari pulled him to the floor and rolled him on his back, signing.

See? Doesn't this feel nice?

She leaned her body against him, resting her head on his chest. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

If you like the carpet, you should feel the bed, Souya signed. Akari grinned at him and sat up.

How much time do we have?

A couple hours, I think. The pre-match ceremony starts at 5.

He watched as she pulled her hair out of its ponytail, shaking it loosely around her shoulders.

xXx

.

There's something I want to show you, he signed.

They walked around the lobby. Even though it was early, already a small army of reporters and observers had gathered around the staging area, chatting and waiting. Souya grabbed Akari's hand and ducked behind a curtain, toward a semi-hidden exit that was outside the main hallway.

There was a garden just outside the main courtyard. Large, curving branches, which dipped into an archway over the path, the cobblestoned pathway was dappled with sunlight filtering through the leaves and the branches. Akari craned her neck, looking around at the trees and the flowers. The path opened into a clearing, a wooden bridge suspended over a koi pond.

A lot of hotels have places like this, Souya signed. I used to come here when I needed a break from the crowds.

It's beautiful, Akari signed. No one really comes here?

They all stay in the lobby. It's usually very quiet here.

There was a slight breeze, which rustled through the leaves behind them. Akari looked up and saw the slash of sun receding behind storm clouds.

It started to rain. Akari shrieked and laughed and ducked into Souya, who covered her with his jacket. They ran beneath a tree and waited for the rain to lessen.

"Oi! Souya! _Oi!"_

Akari looked up. The Chairman was running after them.

"There you are! One of the newspapers was hoping to interview you before the ceremony- aggh, I should have known you'd be hiding! Geez! And you're all wet too-"

The Chairman saw Akari.

"Ack! Missy, you're soaking!" The Chairman said, horrified, then whipped around toward Souya. "Souya, you dummy! I can't believe you dragged your girlfriend out here!"

Souya opened his mouth to protest, but the Chairman interrupted him. "The poor girl is _wet_, Souya, geez! Missy, I'm so sorry about this - this isn't even the first time he's gotten caught in the rain like this. You'd think he could rub two brain cells together and look at the weather forecast, but the numbskull's too busy ducking sponsors and hiding..."

Akari giggled. Souya threw her a hurt look, but she smiled and took his arm reassuringly.

It's cute, she signed. Souya's eyes widened, his face cracking into a blush. The Chairman threw his hands up, exasperated.

"I have no idea what you just signed, Missy, but this airhead is lucky to have you."


	34. Briefcase

.

.

Nikaidou was sitting with Rei in the viewing room when they saw it: a nondescript briefcase, lying in the corner.

"Whose is this?" Nikaidou said. He held up the briefcase, waving it around.

"Not mine," a player said. Another shook his head.

"Not mine, either."

He picked up the briefcase, opening the clasp.

Rei started, "O-oi! Nikaidou! We should just turn it into the office, I don't think you should look through that-"

"I'm just looking to see, there might be something with a name on it," Nikaidou said. He rummaged through the pockets.

Match papers. A few photocopies and articles. A pair of socks and a small notepad and pen. Nikaidou's eyes widened. "The Meijin's personal stamp!"

Nikaidou jumped up. "Kiriyama!" Nikaidou said. "This is Meijin Souya's briefcase!"

"It is?" Rei said. "Then you should just give it to me, I can give it to Akari-san so she can take it to him."

"When is Akari-san seeing him?" Nikaidou asked. Rei shrugged.

"I don't know. I think this weekend?"

Nikaidou slapped his hand on the table. "What are you thinking?! The Kiryuu Best-of-Sevens is this weekend! She's visiting him at the match!" Nikaidou said. He pulled out the match papers, showing him. "This is clearly research on Dobashi-9-dan! It's Souya-san's opponent! They're like us, Kiriyama! Eternal rivals! We need to get these to him before the match!"

"But...but how are we supposed to get these to him?" Rei blanched.

"We can ask Akari-san for his address. He lives in Kyoto, right?"

"That's right," Rei said. "I remember the Chairman saying he lives with his grandmother in Kyoto. But that's a two-hour train ride away."

"You got any matches?" Nikaidou asked. Rei shook his head.

"No, but we can't just show up randomly at the Meijin's house! First of all, it's super stalkery, and secondly-"

"SO WEAK. SO WEAK KIRIYAMA!" Nikaidou puffed up, a flaming ball of fire shooting out dramatically behind him. "The heavens have called to us to help out Meijin Souya, and you have the temerity to refuse?!"

"Nikaidou! Oi, _Nikaidou_."

But Nikaidou walked out into the hallway with purpose, while Rei balked, then followed him.

xXx

.

Akari gave Rei Souya's number, but he felt awkward texting him.

"He's not answering back," Rei said, staring at his phone. Nikaidou preened beside him as they walked up the path. Rei snapped. "Oi! Are you listening? He's probably really busy!"

"What if it were Anija?" Nikaidou said. "These are precious, precious game records, and it could be the difference between winning and losing!"

"I guess," Rei said. They trekked up the cobblestone steps heavily.

"This is it," Nikaidou said. Rei hung back while Nikaidou hitched the briefcase under his arm, knocking. "Hello?" Nikaidou said, knocking. "Souya-san?"

"Um, Nikaidou, I don't think anyone is there-"

"Souya-san, can you hear me?"

_Probably not_, Rei thought miserably. Nikaidou knocked again.

"There's a doorbell," Rei said, pointing. Nikaidou pressed the doorbell.

There wasn't any sound. Nikaidou and Rei exchanged glances.

"I think it's broken," Nikaidou said.

He pressed the button again, then again, then a-

The door slid open. Souya Meijin was standing by the door.

xXx

.

He was wearing sweatpants. That was the first thing Rei and Nikaidou noticed, after they gaped at him for a full five minutes, staring at the god of shogi wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt. Meijin Souya seemed confused and Rei and Nikaidou smartened, realizing that they had been staring at him without saying anything.

"Ano-" Rei said, and he motioned for Nikaidou to give him the briefcase. Souya's eyes widened in recognition.

"We tried texting you first, but..." Rei's voice trailed off.

"Thank you." His voice seemed oddly hesitant, like a rusty shuttered being pried open. Rei looked closer and saw there were dark circle's under the Meijin's eyes, as if he hadn't slept for a very long time.

"Well," Rei said, because he and Nikaidou were standing awkwardly in front of Souya's doorstep. "We should get going now."

Souya gave them a small nod, then started to slid the door closed again. Nikaidou barreled forward.

"Wait!" Nikaidou said, before Rei could stop him. "Souya-san, your doorbell's broken-"

"_Nikaidou_," Rei said, horrified, while Nikaidou thrust his hand through the sliding door, keeping Souya from closing it. Souya blinked, startled.

"We pressed it and it didn't make any sound, see?"

And Nikaidou began mashing the doorbell again. Except this time, there was a bright, flashing light blinking above the doorjamb.

"Wha-" Nikaidou stared. "Why is it blinking."

"We need to go," Rei said, grabbing Nikaidou's arm.

"But Kiriyama, his door is blinking-"

"Thank you, Souya-san!" Rei said, and he yanked Nikaidou out the door.

Rei was about to yell at Nikaidou to stop being so thoughtless when Souya cleared his throat behind them.

"My apologies," Souya said. He stepped out into the courtyard.

"Would you like to come in?"

xXx

.

"That match we played was so cool! I got the notes you sent me - they gave it to me in the hospital, ha ha! How did you come up with that move? Did you have to think about it? Kiriyama thinks you were being petty but I thought it was _really cool_."

"Nikaidou!" Rei said. Souya smiled uncertainly.

Rei looked around. Souya's place was mostly empty - aside from a shogi board and a few books, his place was as austere as Rei's apartment.

"So, ano, Souya-san-" Nikaidou was starting again. "What happened to you at the Lion King Championships? Why did you lose all those matches?"

Rei threw a horrified glance at Souya, who probably wasn't understanding any of this. And as expected, Souya gave them that same blank smile he gave the reporters that time he got red wine on his suit, and said:

"Coming to Kyoto is a long trip. I appreciate you giving this back to me."

"O-oh." Nikaidou blinked, chastened. "It wasn't a problem."

"As for my losses-" Rei's head snapped up. "-Nimerakawa uses a lot of unusual plays. And at the time, I was a bit distracted."

"Mm. Mm. He does use a lot of strange plays," Nikaidou said, nodding, and Rei cringed inwardly.

As they were talking, an older woman walked in, carrying a tray of tea and snacks, and Souya moved to help her. He stood carefully, in a graceful, practiced motion. Even though he was wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, it almost seemed otherworldly.

"This is my grandmother," Souya said. The old woman smiled, then signed at Souya.

Souya signed back. The grandmother chuckled and signed some more.

"Wha- Souya-san? Your grandmother is deaf?"

"Nikaidou!" Rei hissed. Souya turned back to them, apologetically.

"I was telling her you're junior colleagues who work with me in the league."

Nikaidou sparkled. "Did you hear that, Kiriyama? Souya-san says we're _colleagues_."

"Oh my god," Rei said, and slapped his forehead.

"So what was distracting you, Souya-san?" Nikaidou was talking with his mouth full, holding a tea cake by his face. Souya considered.

"I was thinking about a girl," he said, smiling. Rei choked on his tea and started coughing.

"Kiriyama, you okay?!" Nikaidou said. Rei coughed and waved his hand.

They visited Akari later that day. "Souya-san looked tired. Is he okay?" Nikaidou asked. Akari smiled and shook her head.

"He hasn't been sleeping much. He's been busy studying," Akari said.

"Ah, I see, for the upcoming match," Nikaidou said. Akari smiled.

"That, among other things," Akari said.


	35. Sick

.

.

The train ride to the next city was a long one, and Souya found himself dozing on and off, leaning against the window for balance. He was sick and all he wanted to do was crawl under the covers and stay in bed, but it was another round of Best-of-Sevens, and he couldn't afford to miss the match. If you asked him what title he was defending, he honestly couldn't remember, the matches and the PR events and the traveling all starting to blur together.

"How are you sick?!" Dobashi said. Souya had dragged himself to the door because the flashing strobe light in the living room continued to flash, and he didn't have the energy to drag himself back to his room. "You're facing Tsujii-On-a-Good-Day tomorrow! If you don't get better you're gonna lose!"

"Let's hope it's Tsujii-On-a-Bad-Day, then," Souya said, and he dragged himself back to his perch on the couch.

Dobashi kept talking to him, moving with wide animated gestures, until Souya had to tell him he was sorry, he was too tired to read his lips, he had no idea what he was saying. Dobashi plopped down on his knees and texted on his phone.

[It's cuz you didn't sleep again, isn't it]

Souya squinted. Dobashi was talking again, but at least he also texted:

[Because you're studying for those stupid high school exams instead of sleeping]  
[You're gonna get screwed tomorrow with Tsujii-9-dan]

His grandmother walked into the livingroom, and Souya had enough wherewithal to read Dobashi's lips:

"Grandmother! Tell Souya he shouldn't be studying high school stuff when he's sick!"

Souya pulled the covers over his head, rolling over.

xXx

.

It was a weekday, so Akari couldn't come to the match. Souya steeled himself, loading up on Tylenol and caffeine to counteract the fatigue and bodyaches. He had ibuprofen in his briefcase and glucose tablets in his bag; hopefully they would let him take his medication when they served the snacks.

The flashbulbs made his head hurt. Tsujii was sitting in front of him, preening with freshly dyed hair and a brand new kimono, while the moderator started the clock.

They were starting the match. Good. Souya could ignore the screaming of his body and focus on the task at hand.

Tsujii started muttering to himself. "Oooh. The pieces are getting combed together. Combed...oooh. I _combed_ through the _Comme de Garcons_. Huhuhuh. That's a good one. Huhuhuh."

Dammit. Even though he was deaf, he played Tsujii long enough he could practically hear his voice reciting those stupid puns in his head.

This was Tsujii-On-a-Good-Day, wasn't it? Souya stared straight ahead.

"What's wrong with Touji?" Akari said. Her grandfather and Rei were watching the match.

"What do you mean?" Rei said, and Akari pointed.

"He looks so pale," Akari said. "It looks like he hasn't slept."

The clock on his side kept ticking down. Souya pressed the stop button.

"_Souya Meijin has made his move_." The camera hovered over the shogi board. _"Does his play seem more aggressive?"_

"_Yes, this is definitely uncharacteristic of the Meijin_," the commentator said. "_Normally he has a more circumspect approach._"

I need to finish this as fast as I can. Souya moved again. If I can just keep up this line of attack...

Tsujii countered. He snickered and mumbled puns to himself. He countered again, and Souya could swear he started to sparkle.

_It's Tsujii-On-a-Good-Day, then_.

"Ooooh, they're bringing out the snacks!" Grandpa said. Rei and Akari watched as Tsujii nibbled on a few cookies before they panned to Souya.

Rei's eyes widened.

"Is that Red Bull and Tylenol?!"

A quick swig. A few pills to swallow. Souya squeezed his eyes and focused back on the board.

4-6 Kaku. 4-6 Hi. Souya moved the pieces.

The pressure was building. Tsujii stopped muttering puns. His eyes lost their sparkle.

5-5 Kaku. 4-6 Gin.

"Amazing," Grandpa said, and Rei sat forward.

One last piece. Tsujii's eyes went wide.

"I..."

The crowd was silent. The video image was still.

"I lost," Tsujii said.

The announcers erupted, breathlessly proclaiming Souya Meijin defended his title.

xXx

.

Souya was too sick to travel, so he managed to book a hotel room in the city he played in.

His phone was vibrating. Opening his eyes, he was dimly aware of the vibrating sensation by his pillow.

It was Akari. [I'm in the hotel lobby. What room are you in?]

[416] Souya texted sluggishly, his head feeling like it was stuffed with paper.

He must have fallen asleep again, because he felt his phone vibrating harder.

[I'm outside your door.]

The time stamp was twenty minutes earlier.

Oh crap! Souya lurched out of bed, tripping over the covers, before staggering to the door.

"I'm so sorry," he said, and he looked around the hallways, before realizing and looking down.

Akari was sitting in the hallway. She looked up at him and smiled.

You woke up, she signed. Souya grimaced.

I'm so sorry.

Don't be. You're sick. She smiled and hitched up her purse, standing.

He went to the bathroom. Switching on the light, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

Dark circles under his eyes, with pale, sallow skin, he looked even more haggard and disheveled than usual. The caffeine had worn off, and the aftereffects left his head throbbing and his body aching, the final crash after the initial rush of adrenaline.

He showered with effort, then managed to drag himself back to his room, where Akari had already packed his bags.

"Here," she said, and she wrapped his neck with a scarf. "Wear this."

On the train, she stowed his bags and sat beside him, patting his leg and letting him rest his head against her shoulder.

"Thank you," he murmured, and he closed his eyes.

xXx

.

He woke up in his room, even though he couldn't remember exactly how he got there.

His grandmother walked in. The girl made you this, she signed. She set down a tray of soup, frowning at him.

Souya sat up. Weakly, he reached for his textbook, which his grandmother tsked and kicked out of his reach.

Souya looked up. Grandmother?

You shouldn't be studying when you're sick!

His grandmother gave him a stern look, then pushed the tray forward.

xXx

.

Akari was putting Momo to bed when her phone vibrated.

It was Touji. [Thank you for helping me]

Akari smiled and texted back.

[You're welcome! Get some rest]

In Kyoto, Souya hunched over the phone in the dark, the room barely lit from the light of his screen. The scarf was on his lap. He texted back quietly.

[Thank you, I will]

."


	36. Momo

.

.

The white-haired man was back again. Momo crouched behind an end table, sneaking up on him.

"MOMO!" Momo said, and she grabbed a toy and whacked him on the back of the head.

"Momo!" Big Sister ran out and grabbed her. The white-haired man looked startled, rubbing his head. "I told you not to hit him! Apologize right now!"

"Sow-wy," Momo said, pouting. The white-haired man smiled sheepishly.

It was really easy to sneak up on the white-haired man.

Big Sister said he couldn't hear her. Her grandpa taught her all about people who couldn't hear. They didn't know how to speak, so they spoke with their hands. But the white-haired man could speak like normal.

"Ah, he lost his hearing later in life," Big Sister said. Momo kicked her feet and glared.

Momo didn't like the white-haired man. Rei-chan and Bodoro liked her songs, but the white-haired man ignored her. "Momo, that's because he can't hear," Big Sister said, but Momo didn't believe her.

"Rei-chan. I don't like the white-haired man." Momo kicked her feet, pouting. Rei-chan and Hina-chan looked at each other.

"Ah. Souya-san can be scary. But your sister says he's very kind," Rei-chan said.

"Are you scared of him too, Rei-chan?"

"Mm. A little. He scares me a little bit, too."

The white-haired man was back again, and he was talking to her grandpa. Momo glared and snuck up behind him.

"MOMO!" Momo said, and she whacked him on the shin.

"Momo!" Big Sister grabbed her by the armpits while the white-haired man stumbled, startled.

"I don't like you!" Momo said. "You scare Rei-chan too!"

"Momo! That's enough! Apologize to him!" Big Sister said. The white-haired man smiled awkwardly.

"It's okay, she's just playing."

"I'm so sorry," Big Sister said. She started talking with her hands.

Momo pouted. Big Sister took away her toys and made her play upstairs.

xXx

.

They were going to a festival! Momo loved festivals! Big Sister was bringing them, Hina and Momo and Rei-Chan and Bodoro too!

But the white-haired man was also coming. Momo didn't like him.

"Momo, can you stay here a second? Big Sister will buy some dango sticks."

"Yay! Momo loves dango!" Momo said. Big Sister smiled.

"Okay, Momo. Big Sister has to pay, just stay right here."

Big Sister started looking in her purse.

Momo was bored. She looked up at the bright lights and the different colors. It was nighttime so the sky was black , but there were orange lights around them, so it wasn't scary. Momo squealed, looking at the colors. There was something shiny that caught her eye.

Momo ran over and looked. There were bright glowing things outside the festival street. She thinks they were fireflies! Big Sister always told her about fireflies! Momo ran into the dark grass to look.

The fireflies were glowing. Momo caught one in her hand.

She turned. Where was Big Sister?

xXx

.

Nighttime. Momo stood alone in the dark, dark grass, the night sky dark and everything seemed dark and scary. The festival was down the hill, Momo didn't realize she had ran off so far.

"Sister?" Momo called out. No one heard her. "Sister? Sister!" She got so scared she started to cry.

"Sister!" she cried. Big fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "Sister! Sister!"

A hand grabbed Momo's arm.

Momo shrieked, but the hand pulled her closer.

"It's okay," the white-haired man said. But in the dark he looked even scarier.

xXx

.

The white-haired man had seen her run off. She darted into the field behind the tent before Big Sister could stop her.

So he ran after her, up the hill and through the grass, until Momo stopped and got scared.

"Sorry, Momo-chan. It looks like my phone doesn't have bars." The white-haired man put away his phone. "Is it okay if I carry you?"

Momo sniffed and nodded. The white-haired man picked her up, letting her wrap her arms around his neck and lean against his shoulder.

They got back to the festival. The white-haired man looked around, then checked his phone again. "Still no bars," he said. "I guess it's just the two of us, then. Do you want to look around?"

Momo's eyes were wide. She nodded shyly.

"Okay. Where do you want to go?"

"I want to see the fishies." Momo felt shy talking to him. The white-haired man crouched down.

"Can you say that again, Momo-chan? I need to see your lips."

"The fishies," Momo said.

"The fih, shees?" The white haired man creased his forehead. "Oh! Fishies. Yes, we can see the fishies."

They walked. Momo held his hand while he took her to look at the goldfish.

"Do you like goldfish, Momo-chan?"

Momo looked up. The white-haired man was smiling at her. Momo nodded.

"I really like fishies! But the cats will eat them."

"_Hai_. Your cats like eating everything."

He was smiling when he said that. Momo giggled. "They get really hungry."

"Do you like cats, Momo-chan?"

"I love cats! Shogi cats! Bodoro taught me!"

"Shogi cats?" the white-haired man blinked. Momo grabbed his hand.

"Come on! Let's find Bodoro and Rei-chan! I want them to show you!"

xXx

.

"Momo!" Big Sister ran up and scooped Momo in her arms. "Momo! You can't run off like that! What if we couldn't find you?"

Momo swung her arms. "That's okay, Big Sister! Momo was with Touji-san!"

"Thank you so much," Big Sister said to the white-haired man. She was holding Momo so she couldn't talk with her hands.

The white-haired man smiled.

"Not a problem."


	37. Sparklers

.

.

"I can't believe I lost her. What kind of sister am I?"

They were sitting on the back porch, watching as Momo lit sparklers with Nikaidou and Kiriyama and Hinata. Their grandfather had gone to bed, but Momo wasn't tired. She laughed and squealed at the sparklers, which seemed to glitter in Kiriyama's hand.

Akari was smiling, at first. Souya could read her lips as she gave instructions to the boys: _Hai, Momo can play too, but let Rei-chan light them_. And she stood still as Momo squealed and ran out to the back, watching over them.

It wasn't until they were farther away that Souya saw Akari's smile fade. She sat heavily on the porch, shaking.

Souya touched her arm. Are you okay?

He watched her hang her head. It looked like she was sniffing, softly.

It was probably too dark to sign, so he spoke to her: "Are you okay?"

Akari lifted her head. Tears were in her eyes, which reflected in the moonlight. She sniffed and smiled ruefully.

"I can't believe I almost lost her." Souya watched as her lips formed the words.

She sniffed again, hanging her head.

It had happened in an instant. Akari had went to buy Momo some dango and candied apples; Kiriyama and Nikaidou were arguing about shogi and their grandfather was talking to Hinata. Souya watched, standing just outside of them. He was always more comfortable watching, since other than Akari, he didn't really feel like he belonged with them.

Momo was standing by Akari's side, playing with a toy and fidgeting. Akari was ordering at the booth when Souya noticed Momo turn her head, before suddenly running.

Souya followed her. It happened so fast. She ran into the bushes and Souya had trouble negotiating, it was dark and he didn't know where he was going. Momo was a small dark shape disappearing into the grass, and it was all he could do to keep following her.

Now Akari was sitting on their porch, trying not to cry while the others played with the sparklers. She seemed too upset to sign so Souya decided to use his voice with her.

"It's not your fault," Souya said. He rubbed her back soothingly. "There were other people there. No one else noticed, either."

"But you did, though." Akari looked up. Moonlight caught her face and he could see the tears streaks by her eyes. "I don't know what would have happened if you didn't see her." Her hands were shaking as she spoke and signed.

Souya rubbed her back and nodded, feeling inadequate and unable to comfort her.

Across from them, Momo and Hina were holding up their sparklers. They glittered against the dark sky while Kiriyama lit another one for Nikaidou. Beside him, he felt Akari take a shuddery breath; he could feel the jaggedness of her ribcage expanding beneath his palm.

"I promised my mom I'd take care of them. I told her not to worry, that I'd definitely protect them. But I could barely keep that promise," she said, and her eyes turned bright and glassy. "What would my mother think of me if I lost them?"

"Akari."

She looked up. Her eyes were bright and glassy. Carefully Souya wiped the corner of her eyes, then held her hand, quietly.

"I want to help you take care of them."

Akari's eyes widened. His grip on her hand tightened.

"I know I'm not...adequate enough. But I hope you can depend on me."

"Touji..." Akari's eyes filled with tears again.

Across the yard, Nikaidou helped Momo with her sparkler, and Hinata and Kiriyama were laughing. If they were to look back at the house, they would see the dark shape of a house with the lights turned on inside it, and the small silhouette of two people kissing shyly.

But they didn't look; they watched as Momo laughed and chased the sparklers.


	38. Rei

.

.

They invited Rei for dinner again. Rei checked his phone and saw that Hina said they had made braised pork, the soft-boiled eggs were really good and he missed it last time, he needed to try it. Rei smiled, scrolling through his messages. It was already dark out, but the path to the Kawamoto's house was brightly lit, and there were a few people chatting and walking outside.

He reached their house. The yellow light inside seemed to bleed through the closed curtains, making soft halos of light outside. He started to go up the steps when the door flew open.

"Rei-chan!" Hina waved at him. "Everyone, Rei-chan's here!"

xXx

.

Everyone was talking and laughing. Akari-san brought out the pot, the cats swirling around her as she walked, while Hina and Momo laughed at the table. Their grandfather spooned them bowls of rice, smirking as Rei told them how his rank promotion match went in Shogi Hall.

"Oh, you had a match?" Akari sat down beside them. "Touji just had a few rank matches too."

_Touji?_ Rei's eyes widened.

Souya Meijin was petting the cats, sitting in the corner of the room.

Wait, how long had he been there? Rei felt himself panicking. Did he come in later? How did Rei not notice him?

"I, uh..." Rei's mouth went dry. Souya-san noticed him staring, and smiled at him.

"Touji. You don't want to eat?" Akari was signing as she was talking. Souya smiled and nodded, coming closer.

"_Hina-chan_." Rei discreetly covered his mouth, leaning toward her. "Hina-chan...how long has Souya Meijin been here?"

"Eh? Touji-san's been here all afternoon," Hina said, out loud and in full view of Souya Meijin, who could obviously read what she was saying. Rei widened his eyes at her. _Hina please don't say anything_. "Wait, Rei-chan, did you seriously just notice him?"

Souya caught Rei's eyes and smiled at him. Rei felt himself sinking into the floor.

xXx

.

It was the weirdest thing, Rei thought, seeing Souya Meijin in normal clothes.

He still wasn't used to it, no matter how often Souya Meijin came to visit. Until recently, Rei had only seen Souya-san either wearing that light gray suit of his or dressed up in his kimono during a title match. He never thought he'd see Souya-san wearing a pink sweater and normal pants, or that he'd be sitting cross-legged with one of the cats on his lap.

Even outside of shogi, Souya-san just blended into the background. It didn't help that the color of the walls and the colors of his clothes matched. And it definitely didn't help that Souya-san didn't say anything, just sat there petting the cat's head, smiling serenely.

"I'm so embarrassed." Rei hid his face in his hands. "How did I not see him?"

"It's okay, Rei-kun. Touji is just quiet." Akari had ushered him into the kitchen before Rei could have a meltdown in front of him. "My apologies. I should have told you Touji would be here. You're still a bit intimidated by him, right?"

Rei looked up. Akari was putting away the dishes, smiling softly.

"It's just..." Rei searched for his words. "It's just...in the shogi world, he's something like a god or a demon. No one really talks to him."

"Hmm. That doesn't surprise me. He doesn't like to talk that much." Akari touched her throat for emphasis. "He's already a shy person to begin with. Even though he's been deaf for a while, the feeling of talking and not hearing himself is a bit disturbing." She set the dishes on the counter.

"Oh, I know," Akari said, and she brightened. "We don't have dessert, so maybe you could go to the market with him?"

"Eh?!" Rei stiffened.

"You can show him where it is, that way you can get to know him!" Akari walked around him.

"Touji?" She waved then signed at him, catching his attention. "Will you go with Rei to the market? We don't have any dessert."

Souya smiled and stood up. The cats meowed and circled him lazily.

He signed something. Akari pondered.

"What do we want you to get? Hmm, I don't know. Rei-kun, what do you feel like eating? Ice cream? Pudding? Cake?"

"Uh..." Rei flushed.

"Whatever Souya Meijin feels like getting," Rei said.

"I want cake!" Momo said, and Hina nodded.

"And pudding, too!" Hina added.

"Mm. There you have it," Akari said, smiling. She signed at Souya. "Touji, will you get pudding and cake?"

Souya smiled and nodded. He turned to look at Rei.

"I, uh, I guess I'll show you where the market is." Rei flushed and stared at his hands.

xXx

.

They slid the door shut.

Rei walked. Souya Meijin walked a few steps behind him.

Everything was silent except for the soft night sounds of insects. Occasionally, a car or another person would walk past, but otherwise the street was empty and quiet. Rei walked and could hear Souya's footsteps following him.

_A demon or a god._ Every few steps, Rei would glance back and see Souya's neutral expression staring back at him. He felt watched, and oddly out of his depth. It was like he was escorting a quiet god.

They reached the market. Soon Rei's embarrassment gave way, and he suddenly found himself a sense of purpose. They needed to get pudding and cake. Glancing at Souya, they walked around the market toward the refrigerator section.

There were too many different brands and flavors. Rei stood in front of them, indecisive.

Souya stepped forward. One of each into the basket. Then a few cups of coffee jelly on top of it.

Oh. So that's how Souya-san would do it. Instead of deciding, he went for variety.

The cake section was even less straightforward - different fruits, different flavors - but Souya opened the case and picked a few pieces. Rei's eyes widened.

"Oh. Those are what Kumakura-9-dan likes, right?" Rei said.

Souya smiled, then nodded.

"He really likes to eat his cake," Rei said.

Souya smiled again. He set the cakes in his basket.

They walked back silently, Souya carrying the bags while Rei followed him. Souya didn't seem to need Rei for directions, remembering which streets to cross and which turns to take.

Strange. Above them, the street lamps made gentle halos of light, which seemed to fall on Souya Meijin with a gauzy haze. It almost seemed like he was walking in slow motion, the night sounds and the darkness getting swallowed up around him.

They reached the house. Akari opened the door and took the bags, signing with one hand while talking to him. Rei hovered. This was Souya Meijin, interacting with Akari.

"Um, ano-" Rei stuttered. Akari and Souya turned to look.

"I have another match in the morning, so..." Rei trailed off.

Akari smiled. "_Hai_." Akari said. "You need to study. Good luck tomorrow!"

"Thank you. I will. And thank you for the dinner," Rei said. He left quickly before Akari could say anything more.

xXx

.

He didn't bother turning on the light to his apartment. True, he had a match, but he was too worked up about everything to actually study. Lying on the bed, he looked up at the slow turn of the ceiling fan, and wondered if he should have tried to talk more to the Meijin.

There was a knocking at the door.

Rei sat up. The clock on the nightstand read 8 PM. The knocking continued.

"Uh, _hai_, just a minute," Rei said, and he unchained the lock. His eyes widened.

Meijin Souya was standing at his door.

"Uh..." Rei blinked. Souya smiled at him apologetically.

"Akari wanted to give you leftovers," Souya said, and he held up the bag. "You left before she could pack anything."

"O-oh. Thank you," Rei said. Souya smiled again.

They stood at the door, awkwardly.

Souya nodded. "Well then..." he made a motion to leave.

"Wait-" Rei raised his hand. Souya turned to look at him.

Rei licked his lips. Swallowed. "Do you want to come in?"

Souya seemed to hesitate a moment, then nodded. Rei opened the door.

xXx

.

Souya Meijin was standing in his empty apartment. He was looking at Rei's schoolbooks, thumbing through them with quiet interest.

"It's good that you're staying in school," Souya said, after a long moment. "If I could go back, I wouldn't have dropped out."

Rei stopped. Souya's words seemed to echo, as if they were standing in a vast expanse. Souya set down the book and smiled at him.

"It's not easy." Rei looked at his hands. "It gets hard sometimes. Playing and studying."

A nod. Rei followed Souya's gaze to the stack of shogi books lying unceremoniously at the corner.

How could Rei tell him? That shogi was everything to him. That it was a lifeline he clung to when he felt like he was drowning. That it was the only thing in his life that saved him.

Or that he resented it. Resented it for all the expectations that came with it.

After a long moment, Souya moved and picked up the shogi board Rei had shoved in the corner.

"Do you want to play?" Gray eyes moved upward, meeting his. "You have a match to prepare for, no?"

"Um..." Rei took a breath, then sat down across the board.

xXx

.

A pure, white space. That's what it was like playing him. It was like the time during the commemorative match, but it seemed to him that everything felt warmer. Deeper. It was a warm, welcoming light that enveloped him.

Sometimes, he'd make a wrong move, and Souya would shake his head gently, then redirect him. Different doors would open, paths that Rei before had never fathomed.

The clock on the nightstand said 11 PM. They had been playing for hours and Rei didn't even notice.

"Thank you for teaching me," Rei said, bowing. Souya smiled. He got up to pick up his things, then accidentally knocked into a stack of papers.

"Oh, Souya-san, that's okay, I can get it-" Rei started, but Souya stooped down to pick them up. His eyes widened a fraction.

It was Rei's matchmaking papers he had drawn up for Akari.

Rei lurched forward, horrified.

"Um! Ano! It's not what it looks like-"

Heuristic diagrams. Personality points pitted against each other. A whole list of shogi players, but Souya Meijin's name not listed among them.

Souya blinked. Rei flushed and stared at the paper.

KUMAKURA KENGO. PROS: 9 DAN, STABLE MATCH INCOME. CONS: POSSIBLY MARRIED (?)

SHIMADA KAI. PROS: AKARI SEEMS TO LIKE HIM. CONS: GAVE UP WOMEN FOR SHOGI

TSUJII TAKESHI. PROS: 9 DAN, STABLE INCOME, GOOD-LOOKING. CONS: LIKES PUNS. KIND OF ANNOYING

"A-ano..." Rei's face was heated. Souya didn't seem to understand what he was looking at. He furrowed his brow and kept shuffling through the papers.

"It's because I want to marry Hina-chan!" Rei said, and Souya looked at him. "I want to marry Hina-chan, but I thought maybe it'd be bad if she got married before Akari, and...ano...I didn't put your name down there because I didn't think you'd be interested..."

Souya blinked. Rei covered his face in his hands.

"I made these before you two started dating. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

Souya blinked slowly, then looked down at the paper.

"Why did you list Nikaidou-5-dan?" Souya asked. His eyes lifted upwards, slowly.

"Um..." Rei licked his lips. "Because Akari-san likes cute, fluffy things, and she likes the roundness of Nikaidou's body."

Souya's eyes widened.

"I mean, not in a sexual way! At least, I don't think..." Rei trailed off stupidly.

Souya covered his mouth. He started laughing softly.

"S-Souya-san?"

Souya smiled and shook his head. "I don't think Akari would appreciate this."

"She definitely wouldn't! Please forgive me!"

"But you know, Kiriyama..." Souya smiled.

"I'm hoping we get married before you do."


	39. Rei, part 2

.

.

It was always a strange sensation, having to speak out loud.

He'd been deaf for ten years, but he still wasn't used to it. If he concentrated, he could almost hear his voice in his head when he spoke, but it was still strange without actually hearing himself, and so when he spoke he was a little hesitant, uncertain.

It didn't help that he was already fairly introverted before he lost his hearing; being deaf just made things worse.

"Souya! You need to speak louder! No one can hear you!"

Souya could feel the vibrations rising in his throat as he spoke. "Is this better, Chairman?"

Except it sounded more like, "Is this better, Chairman," without the question mark, since Souya had long ago lost the ability to change his inflections.

"You sound like a robot," the Chairman told him. "Aggh! How annoying! You're lucky you're cute, Souya! Otherwise the sponsors would drop you!"

It was easier staying quiet. He stood apart from the others, hovering awkwardly in the background. Usually people didn't notice he would be standing there; they'd chat and laugh and sometimes even talk about him, not realizing Souya Meijin was watching their lips, eavesdropping on them.

xXx

.

Kiriyama-6-dan was joining them for dinner. Souya felt bad - Kiriyama thought of the Kawamotos as family, but ever since Souya started visiting, Kiriyama started avoiding them.

I think it's my fault he stopped coming over, Souya signed. Akari shook her head, frowning.

He knows he's welcome here. He just needs to get used to you.

It was after 6 PM when Kiriyama came in. Souya sat in the corner, watching quietly while Kiriyama laughed and chatted with the sisters._Oh, this is braised pork from the pressure cooker!_ Souya could read Kiriyama's lips easily. The boy was surprisingly expressive when he was relaxed, and that made him easier to read. Kiriyama leaned back, chatting and eating, while Hinata scooped an extra bowl of rice and Akari stooped down to feed the cats.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Oi, you're not gonna eat?" Their Grandfather said.

All eyes turned toward him. Kiriyama's face turned bright red.

Souya smiled awkwardly. Souya knew Kiriyama hadn't seen him.

Slowly, he sat at the table. The table was already crowded, so Souya sat a little outside the circle, holding a bowl of rice and staring at his hands, awkwardly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kiriyama discreetly move his hand to cover his mouth, leaning toward Hinata.

_Oh, Touji-san? He's been here all afternoon!_ Hinata's lips were easy to read. Kiriyama widened his eyes at her. She kept talking. _Wait, you seriously didn't see him?_

Kiriyama caught Souya watching them.

Souya smiled. Kiriyama hunched awkwardly.

xXx

.

I think he's a bit intimidated by you, Akari signed. Souya shook his head.

He has no reason to be, he signed.

Yes I know, but Rei-kun looks up to you. Did you know what he told me? He said in your world, people look at you like a demon or a god.

Souya blinked. A god?

Akari smiled, amused. You do have a bit of a godly air to you, she signed, and she circled her arm around his waist, affectionately.

Souya shook his head. If by godly air you mean confused and socially awkward, I can see it. The Chairman has it so even if I mess up reading lips, people think it's the mark of genius.

You're too hard on yourself, Akari signed, gently. She picked a loose thread off his shirt then smoothed the fabric down his arm.

xXx

.

She packed leftovers for Kiriyama, then handed him the tubs.

Please be friends with him, she signed. He's all alone right now. Promise me you'll look after him.

I will, Souya signed, and he took the leftovers.

He stopped by Kiriyama's, then went to his hotel, where he was meeting Akari. He always booked a hotel when he visited - Kyoto was far and it was easier to stay the night, and out of consideration for her family, Akari would stay with him.

He opened the door and saw Akari unpacking her things on the bed.

So? Akari signed, as Souya sat next to her. Did he get the leftovers?

He did. He seemed grateful for them.

Souya watched as Akari padded around the room, unhooking her bra beneath her shirt and heading toward the bathroom.

I'm thinking of getting an apartment, Souya signed. I quite liked the place Kiriyama was in. It'd be better than having to rent different hotels.

Oh, isn't it nice? Akari signed. She unpinned her hair, the soft brown curls falling loosely around her shoulders. He has a nice view of the river.

Akari switched on the bathroom light, getting ready to shower. He tapped her on the shoulder.

Did you know he was trying to set you up with other shogi players?

"Eh?" Akari's eyes widened. Souya smiled.

He had a whole list, complete with personality heuristics. Apparently he thought you'd be a good match with Nikaidou.

Really? Akari unbuttoned her shirt. He does have a sweetly fluffy body...

Souya's eyes widened.

Akari started laughing. Sorry, she signed. She gave him a kiss, then took off the rest of her clothes and got in the shower.


	40. Ring

.

.

"These are old mock exams from the last five years. We teachers can submit questions to the board, these are the questions we submitted this year. Don't tell anyone I'm showing you this!

"Also, here's a packet of sample essay questions. Read the article and synthesize it. Five paragraphs: intro, three arguments, and conclusion. You need to be able to read and write these in an hour, so make sure you time it. Bring them to me when you're done, and we can go over them.

"You're pretty good in math and physics, so I wouldn't worry about them. For now, you need to concentrate on honing these essay questions. Get better at bullshitting, in other words."

Hayashida handed Souya Meijin the stack of papers. Souya bowed, taking them.

"Thank you," Souya said. Hayashida puffed in front of him.

"Um, Hayashida-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

Hayashida watched as Souya hesitated.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked. "I appreciate you gathering this material for me. But to offer to go over my essays must be a lot of work."

Hayashida waved his hand.

"I get to be the man who helped Meijin Souya! Shogi Genius and the Child of God in our Land! It kinda puffs me up, you know?"

Souya opened his mouth, but Hayashida clapped him on the back hard, making Souya stagger a step forward.

Souya put the papers in his briefcase, and Hayashida watched as Souya bowed deeply.

He leaned back into a chair, swiveling toward the window, and watched as Souya walked across the courtyard from the school and move onto the street. It was the oddest feeling - in a lot of ways, Souya was just like Kiriyama, with the same apologetic air, and the same unawareness of his own genius. _I bet that guy didn't have a lot of friends_, Hayashida thought, and he remembered the stories Shimada told him, of how Souya would disappear during the pre-match ceremonies, often standing alone in the courtyard or the garden.

"_It's too awkward eating lunch in the classroom. People will notice when you're alone. So that's why I eat outside, or sometimes go to the stairwell._"

Hayashida remembered Kiriyama's words, frowning.

xXx

.

The sun was setting, and the orange light seemed to bathe the classroom a deep red. Hayashida leaned back, thumbing through Souya's essays. He read and assimilated each article in an hour exactly, like Hayashida said.

"Well, how do I put this delicately?" Hayashida said. He rocked back in his chair, while Souya sat in front of him, nervously.

"These are crap!" Hayashida said. Souya reddened. "How the hell are you a Meijin! None of these make sense! Your train of thought is incoherent!"

"I...I used examples from the paragraph..."

"You need to be able to construct an argument," Hayashida said "'Do I agree with the author or do I disagree?' Right now you're just giving me a shitty summary."

"O-oh."

"And this one here, you're not even answering the question!"

"My apologies," Souya said, reddening. Hayashida handed him the stack of papers.

"Don't get discouraged," Hayashida said. "I'm being tough because I know you want to pass. You don't want to be a Meijin failing a high school certification exam."

"_Hai._ Thank you. Please be tough on me, Sensei," Souya said, bowing.

_He called me Sensei!_ Inside, Hayashida squealed a little bit. On the outside, Hayashida stayed stern.

They walked to a convenience store, and if anyone observed, it would seem like Hayashida was the brash, older brother, showing his meeker sibling the things around town.

"So? You taking the train back to Kyoto?" Hayashida opened a can of beer, drinking from it. Beside him, Souya shook his head.

"I actually started renting an apartment not far from here. I've been staying here often, so it's cheaper to rent than paying for hotels."

"You and Akari-san gonna be moving in?" Hayashida took another drink, watching him.

"She stays with me when I'm here." Souya kept walking forward. "However, I think she'd rather live in a house than an apartment."

They kept walking. Hayashida finished his drink.

"So you get her a ring yet, or...?"

"Not yet," Souya said, and Hayashida stopped.

"HAH?!" Hayashida said. "Aren't you engaged?! Why didn't you get her a ring yet?!"

"I asked her, but she said she didn't want it." Souya blinked, innocently.

Hayashida erupted. "She's just saying that! Of course she wants it!"

Souya explained, "But she said it'll get in the way of cooking and washing dishes, and she'd be uncomfortable wearing something that expensive, and-"

Hayashida turned into a fire-breathing dragon, crashing into buildings and angrily mowing down pedestrians: "You really are a friggin' idiot! This is why you need some friends!"

"Hai?"

Hayashida roared, a seven-foot wave of fire violently cremating everything: "Are you seriously going to argue with me?! You shogi moron! Get her a goddamn ring!"

"H-hai."


	41. Dark Clouds

.

.

She was walking home from her shift at the bar when she saw the silhouette of a man standing in front of her.

"Hello, Akari." He stepped beneath the light of a streetlamp, the yellow lamplight illuminating his face.

Akari gripped her purse.

"What do you want, Father?"

xXx

.

This was a memory Akari had of her father:

Her mother had found a help wanted ad in the paper. Circling it with a red pen, she showed her father the newspaper and told him she thought the job would suit him.

_"What the hell is this?" her father said. Akari hid behind the sliding door, watching through an open crack. Her father threw the newspaper at her mother's feet. "What, are you saying I'm some sort of deadbeat?"_

_"Honey, no-" her mother began, and they began fighting. Akari put her hands over her ears and slid down to a sitting position, her knees to her chest and her back against the door._

_"He's a good man,"_ her mother said, more than once. Even with the tears streaming down her face, Akari rubbing her back as her mother sobbed, brokenly. _"It's my fault your father doesn't love us anymore."_

_"Your mother is weak,"_ her aunt told her once, when her mother took her father back, crying in his arms. _"Your father is a horrible, selfish man. Whatever you do, don't end up like your mother."_

_"We don't need you!"_ Akari said to him, standing at the foot of the bridge. _"The three of us are better off without you!"_ Her father had tried to weasel his way back into their lives again - this time to kick them out of their house, to move in with his second family while he ran off with his mistress - and she thought she'd never see him again.

Now her father was standing in front of her, smiling guilelessly and holding out his arms.

Akari hitched her purse, taking a step backward. "What do you want?"

Her father scoffed. "Akari. Is this any way to treat your family?"

"You're not my family. You stopped being family the day you walked out on Mom."

"Relationships are complicated," her father said. "You're old enough to understand that."

"And you should understand that you left us for five years. You never even met Momo until a few months ago!"

Why was she talking to him? Akari's grip on her purse tightened. The night wind was rising, and in her black dress and heels, she felt exposed and vulnerable.

"You know what, I don't care what you want - I'm not talking to you anymore," Akari said, and she hitched her purse, walking around him.

"Akari, wait."

Akari stopped. Her father turned, slowly.

"A little birdie told me you're getting married," her father said.

Akari turned around.

"What do you care?" Akari said. "What is it, Father? Do you want more money? Does your mistress need another house?"

"I just wanted to say congratulations," her father said. "And also give you a word of advice."

"No thank you." Akari started walking. Her father called out behind her.

"I know you're worried," he said, and Akari stopped again. "That what happened with me and your Mom will happen with you and that man. People fall out of love all the time. It's just a matter of when."

"He isn't like you," Akari said. "No one else is selfish like you."

"I wasn't talking about him." Her father took a step forward.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Akari," her father said. "Someday, you might wake up and wonder where the rest of your life has been. Don't think for a second that that martyr act you're putting on is fooling anyone. You're my daughter. You may pretend you love caring for your sisters, but we both know you hate it. It suffocates you," her father said. "Don't think that I don't know, because I've felt it, too."

"And who put me in that position?" Akari said. "You did. You did when you walked out on Mom!"

"Your Mom died. That was very unfortunate. I did what I had to do for my sanity, Akari. I walked away. I know you want to, too."

"What do you want?" Akari said. "Why are you bothering me? Why now? Why are you talking to me?"

"That man you're dating, Akari. He's actually very wealthy."

She knew it. Akari turned and started walking. Her father called out again.

"If anything happens in your marriage - you need to make sure you're protected!"

"I'm not talking about this with you," Akari said.

"Akari-"

"No!" Akari said. "Stop! You don't get to give me advice. Not anymore! Not after you walked out!"

Her father's face was drawn.

"Protect yourself," he said. "That's all I wanted to tell you."

"Go to hell," Akari said.

"Akari," her father said, and Akari turned.

"Congratulations," her father said, and he turned slowly, walking the opposite direction.

xXx

.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, FUCK.

Akari started sobbing. She walked quickly down the street, choking back harsh sobs and digging through her purse for her phone.

She texted Touji. [Something happened I need to talk to you]

Tears streamed down her face. Her mascara was running, smearing around her eyes.

Touji didn't answer. Of course he didn't. It was the day before a match and he was probably sleeping.

She got back home, but the house was quiet; it was well past midnight and everybody was sleeping.

Touji had an apartment in June City, near the same complex where Rei lived. He wasn't there now, but since it was empty Akari knew she could have a good cry without bothering anyone. Sniffing, she grabbed her spare key and locked the door, walking toward Touji's apartment.

It was dark inside when Akari unlocked the door, and largely unfurnished. Except for the curtains on the window and the futon folded neatly by the wall, it was empty. She didn't used to mind the emptiness, but Touji would be there, and they could sit on the futon and watch movies on his laptop, or she could cook dinner and eat on an overturned box on the floor.

She felt stupid. She shouldn't even be here.

xXx

.

Her neck hurt. It was the first thing Akari became dimly aware of. Her neck hurt and she realized she had fallen asleep curled up against the wall.

Her phone was buzzing. Akari groped toward the side and pulled it over.

Touji was calling her. Akari blinked. She answered the phone.

"H-hello?"

_"Akari, if you can hear me, I'm going to hang up and text you, okay?"_

He obviously couldn't hear the phone call. It sounded like he had put the phone on speaker and had been waiting for the screen to change when she picked up.

The phone buzzed. _[Akari. Did you hear me?]_

Akari texted, [Yes I heard you. Thank you for calling]  
[I'm okay. I just had a run-in with my father. I'm okay]  
[Sorry for bothering yo-

_[I'm so sorry for not answering right away!] _his text came in before she could send the last one. _[Are you alright? When you didn't answer I got worried]_

Akari scrolled up and realized he had been trying to text and call her for the last hour.

_[What happened?]_ he texted. _[Are you okay?]_

Akari stared at the phone screen, her eyes filling with tears.

Her phone buzzed again.

_[Do you want me to come over?]_

Akari let out a sob.

[Yes], she texted. [Please come over]

She glanced at the time and realized it was 1 AM.

Touji texted, [_I got a cab. I'll be there in two hours. Are you at the house?_]

Akari sobbed harder.

[I'm in the apartment]

_[Okay. Get some rest. I'll see you in a couple hours]_  
_[I love you]_

He didn't usually say goodbye like that. Tears dripped onto her phone screen as she cried harder.

[Love you too] she texted, crying, and she pulled her knees to her chest, wiping her eyes.

xXx

.

There was the soft sound of a key turning a lock. The door quietly opening. Akari opened her eyes.

He saw that she was awake, and quickly rushed toward her. She started crying again, and he pulled her against his chest, hugging her.

"What happened?" he asked, after she finally calmed herself. She sniffed and blew her nose, her eyes puffy and swollen.

She told him what happened in fits and starts. Everything spilled out of her, until she was rehashing everything her father had ever done to hurt her.

And then she realized she wasn't signing. Her eyes widened when she realized Touji was watching her lips, quietly.

"It's okay," he said, before she could apologize. He smiled. "I could see what you were saying. Don't force yourself. It's okay."

"Thank you," she said, quietly. He smiled and brushed back a strand of hair.

A moment passed, and Akari realized she was still wearing her cocktail dress. Her makeup had smeared everywhere and gotten on his shirt, and the skirt of her gown was wrinkled and disheveled. "I'm a mess," she said, and she laughed ruefully.

"You're fine," he said. "I'm sorry, I should have gotten you a change of clothes-"

"I feel so stupid," Akari said.

"It's okay," Touji said.

He rested her close, then kissed the top of her head.

"Do you want to shower? I have another shirt in my bag you can wear."

"Thanks," Akari said, and she smiled weakly.

The shower was warm. She hung her head and let the water stream warmly down her body.

It was almost 4 AM now, and Akari pulled on his shirt, feeling vaguely embarrassed. The material was thin and she wasn't wearing any underwear.

"Feeling better?" he had folded her dress and left it on top of the bathroom counter.

"Yes, thank you." Akari shyly held her elbow.

They went to bed. Touji kissed her forehead and held her close, until soon enough she passed out from exhaustion.

xXx

.

The high-pitched squeal of a smoke alarm woke Akari up.

Light streamed through the open curtains, and Akari sat up, hair disheveled and sitting bare-bottomed in the middle of the futon, watching as Touji ran around the kitchen, waving a dishrag at a smoking frying pan. The smoke alarm was blaring, and while Touji didn't hear it, he certainly could see the smoking bits of what were supposed to be pancakes charring up into a crisp.

"Touji, what-"

She started laughing as he threw a pot lid over the fire.

"Um." Touji looked at her, sheepish. I tried cooking breakfast, he signed. The fire alarm blared above him.

He cooked her breakfast. Tried to, anyway, judging from the amount of burnt pancakes he had thrown in the garbage. She had been sleeping so soundly, he had gone to and from the convenience store all the way in March City. He made tea, and poured her a cup. Sitting across from her, she watched as he dumped a pile of sugar cubes into his cup, and she remembered.

"You have a match today." Akari looked at the clock. Her eyes widened.

"Touji!" Akari said, and she signed frantically. Look at the time!

It's okay, Touji signed. I told the Chairman. I forfeited already.

"What?" Akari gasped. But wasn't it a rank-deciding match?

Touji smiled.

If I get demoted to B Class, it won't be because I missed one match.


	42. Dark Clouds, part 2

.

.

There was a warm breeze coming from the balcony. Akari stepped outside, looking out at the bright blue stripe of the river and the glittering sunlight reflecting off it.

_So this is the view Rei-chan has_. Akari felt slightly jealous. Rei had been the one to recommend this set of apartments, and while his complex wasn't currently renting, there were still vacancies in the complex next door.

Touji had gotten her a change of clothes, which he had folded neatly in a paper bag. Akari had dressed quietly, glancing at the clock as behind her. Her shift at the shop started in half an hour - she still could get to work on time if she hurried.

"I already talked to your grandfather. No one is expecting you to come in." Touji seemed to know what she was thinking before she said it. He spoke as he put their cups in the sink. "Hinata and Kiriyama-6-dan took Momo to school."

"Oh, thank you." Akari was relieved. She picked up the empty paper bag, folding it thoughtfully.

"You went to all this trouble to help me," Akari said. "You even got me clothes."

"I was going to the store anyway. It made sense to stop by." He rinsed the cups, setting them on the rack. "I didn't have a way to contact your family. Since you weren't home, I didn't want them to worry."

"Thank you," Akari said again, and her eyes widened. The whole conversation felt so natural, for a moment she forgot he couldn't actually hear.

"Crap," Akari said, and she signed quickly. I forgot I should be signing.

"It's okay," Touji said. "You're one of the few people I can understand anyway. Your eyes are blurry, right?" he asked, and Akari realized her eyes were still swollen and puffy. Her eyes did hurt, if she thought about it - her whole face felt taut from crying.

"I still feel bad about it, though." She signed and spoke at the same time.

He walked out onto the balcony, leaning against the railing next to her.

"Remember when I went to the shop?" he asked. "That day you ran out of paper and started writing on your arm?"

"Oh. Heh. Yeah." Akari smiled, looking outward. "That must have looked really silly."

"It meant a lot to me. No one ever went that far to talk to me."

He looked out at the river, and the ripples of the water reflected on his face.

"What I'm saying is, I don't mind using my voice with you. You've already done so much for me."

Akari smiled, then dropped her head against his shoulder.

xXx

.

"I'm going to kill him!" Misaki said.

Akari raised her hands up while Misaki raged about the house, yelling curse words and pacing, angrily. "I swear if that man shows up at the bar again, I'm going to personally walk out and bash his face in!"

"Auntie!" Akari said, and her Grandpa shook his head.

"I'm sorry you had to see all this," her Grandpa said to Touji. "Seijirou-san is a difficult man. I wish we had been there to handle it."

"Handle it?" Misaki said. "I'll smash his face with a crow bar! That's how I would handle it!"

"_Misaki_," her Grandpa said, and Misaki shook a fist. Akari touched her Grandpa's arm.


	43. Ring, part 2

.

.

Engagement ring? Akari looked up, surprised. You already paid for Hina's tuition. I don't need an engagement ring.

But what if he did get her one? Did she have a preference? Was there a cut or band type that she liked?

Akari waved her hand. I don't really know much about these things.

"Get a big one," Dobashi said. "Like, a really big, shiny one!"

Souya showed him pictures online. "Oooh!" Dobashi said. He pointed at the gaudiest one. "Get her this one!"

That one's kind of ugly, no?

"Souya you're nuts! If I were a chick I'd want this one!"

"Get her a big one," the Chairman said. "It needs to be big enough she can't lift her finger!"

I don't know if she'd like a big stone...

"Get her one with lots of diamonds on the band! The flashier the better!"

"My old girlfriend liked the stone surrounded by halo diamonds in a bevel setting," Shimada said. "Also, the carat count doesn't matter as much as clarity."

Shimada paused. A dark cloud seemed to settle on him.

"Sorry, Souya-san, all this talk about engagement rings is slightly depressing."

"UWAH! Get her a big one!" Nikaidou said. Kiriyama yelled at him that Souya-san wasn't talking to him.

"Why are you asking me?!" Hayashida said. "Shouldn't you be talking to Akari?!"

I did ask her. She told me she had no preference.

"Well what the hell are you asking me for?! Shouldn't you ask her Aunt Misaki?"

Her Aunt Misaki looked down at him from the bar.

"Get her a diamond," she said.

Eh? I was hoping you could help me with the setting-

"It doesn't matter as long as it's a diamond! If you get her cubic zirconia you'll be hearing from me!"

Thank you very much, Misaki-san.

Souya sat in a coffee shop, scrolling through his options. A shadow fell over his phone.

"Hmm? Engagement rings?" Nimerakawa-7-dan leaned over him. "Having trouble deciding on the setting?"

Nimerakawa tapped on the screen.

"I recommend a solitaire round cut with a pave setting. It's simple but refined, and the smaller diamonds will look nice and delicate. You should also opt for something with higher clarity."

Oh, you're right. That one is really pretty.

"I know, isn't it?" Nimerakawa said. He smiled creepily. "They're really popular in open viewings."

Souya realized he was talking about dead women in caskets and quickly looked back at his phone.


	44. End

.

.

He became a professional at 15, when he was still in middle school. At 21, he became the youngest Meijin in history. After that, he broke record after record in the shogi world, until the first time in history, he won all seven titles. A year later, he mysteriously dropped out of the Kishou Championships, and for the first time in eleven years, he reclaimed that title.

Once again, Meijin Souya had all seven titles.

An interviewer held up a microphone. "Meijin Souya. It's been over a decade since you've gone after the Kishou Championships. What made you want to reclaim that title?"

"I wanted to buy a house," he said, and the sponsors and interviewers chuckled good-naturedly.

"Meijin Souya, one last question! Are you happy you have all seven titles?"

"_Hai_," Meijin Souya said, and he bowed humbly at the crowd.

xXx

.

Titles didn't mean anything.

Normally, there would be a sense of elation, a giddy sense of accomplishment and pride, even a bit of disbelief at winning. But Souya had held on to all those titles for so long, the most he could muster was a vague sense of relief from not losing. It was just as well he stopped participating in the Kishou Championships - there was too much overlap with the Meijin Championships, and he wanted to focus on keeping that title.

"That's the problem with being on top of the world," the Chairman mused. "Stay there long enough, you start worrying when you'll fall off."

He won the match. He was a surprise challenger, the shogi world shocked and breathless that _Meijin Souya was making a comeback!_ Yanagihara fought and wailed and gnashed his teeth, but in the end, Souya beat him easily.

Souya didn't celebrate. He took the train and looked out the window.

xXx

.

"Did you hear, Shimada-8-dan? Souya passed the high school exam."

"Good for him," Shimada said, and Hayashida poured him a drink.

"You should have seen him," Hayashida said. "He had the happiest look on his face - he didn't even smile after winning the Seven Crowns! Who'd have thought he'd be so happy getting his high school certification."

"You're a good teacher, Sensei." Shimada swirled his drink. "You're the reason why Souya-san smiled."

"Really?" Hayashida sparkled. "I'm the one who made Souya Meijin happy?!"

"Sensei. Your man crush is showing again."

"D'awwww!"

xXx

.

Her grandfather was looking at the pictures in Akari's room.

The wedding photographs came out nice. Someji turned the pictures over.

Like hell he would leave any of his granddaughters to stand alone in their family wedding photos.

_Hear that, Grandmother?_ he thought, and set the photos near the altar.

Just two more to go.

.

.

end.


End file.
